Scouting Report

Scouting grades: Fastball: 50 | Curveball: 55 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 55 | Control: 40 | Overall: 40

After the Guardians went under slot to sign their first three selections in the 2022 Draft, they splurged on Humphries in the eighth round, giving him fourth-round money ($600,000) to convince him to forgo his commitment to Campbell. Early returns were positive in his first full season, as he showed his strikeout stuff in the Rookie-level Arizona Complex League, but the next two years were a wash. An illness caused him to lose significant weight in 2024, and he could not find his control in '25 and walked nearly a batter per inning.

Humphries is starting to look like his old self again now that he's diligently grown stronger over the offseason and refined his delivery. While he used to have an extreme over-the-top delivery, he's dropped his release point to a high-three-quarters slot that still enables him to reach nearly 20 inches of induced vertical break on his fastball while also adding more armside run. The southpaw throws his heater about half the time and sits 91-93 mph -- he can reach back and touch 96 mph -- and the hope is that his added strength will help him maintain velocity late into the season.

The North Carolina native has a pair of distinct breaking balls -- an upper-80s slider and high-70s curve -- that each have a chance to be plus. His changeup has rare vertical movement and pairs well off the fastball because of 10 mph of velocity separation. However, much of his value will come down to his control. After throwing strikes just 54 percent of the time in 2025, he's been consistently in the zone in 2026, thanks in part to a less effortful delivery and better direction to home plate. Humphries' stuff could play up in relief if the walks don't dissipate, but he has the foundation to be a mid-rotation starter, and Cleveland is likely to keep developing him in that role.

Scouting grades: Fastball: 55 | Curveball: 55 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 40 | Overall: 40

Humphries flashed top-three-rounds talent as a North Carolina high schooler before an inconsistent senior season in 2022 dinged his stock a little bit. The Guardians still gave him third-round money ($600,000) as an eighth-rounder that July, and he responded by standing out as the best pitching prospect in the Rookie-level Arizona Complex League during his pro debut the following summer. He had a lost season in 2024, coming down with a virus early in the season that cost him 20 pounds as well as significant velocity and athleticism.

When he's at full strength, Humphries shows the potential for three plus pitches. His fastball can operate at 92-95 mph and touch 97 with sink and run, and he can show a pair of high-spin breaking balls, an upper-70s curve with quality depth and a sharp low-80s slider. Even his low-80s fade changeup could become a solid offering.

Last year, Humphries worked around 90 mph with his fastball and lost power on his curve and slider, though he still managed to strike out 97 in 79 Single-A innings. His arm action isn't the cleanest and he doesn't repeat his delivery on a consistent basis, so he might be limited to average control and fringy command at best. Assuming he can regain the stuff he had before he got sick, he has a higher ceiling than most of the system's other pitching prospects as a potential mid-rotation starter.

Scouting grades: Fastball: 55 | Curveball: 55 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 45 | Overall: 45

Humphries looked like a potential top-three-rounds pick when he led Fuquay-Varina HS to the North Carolina 4-A state championship as a junior and impressed at the Super 60 Showcase in February 2022. An up-and-down senior year dinged his stock a bit, though the Guardians gave him third-round money ($600,000) in the eighth round to divert him from a Campbell commitment. He stood out as the best pitching prospect in the Rookie-level Arizona Complex League during his 2023 debut, then displayed improved control following a mid-August promotion to Single-A.

While Humphries shows the potential for three plus offerings once he's fully developed, he rarely has been at his best in 2024 while battling a stomach virus that sapped his strength. His fastball already sits at 92-95 mph and reaches 97 with sink and run. He creates high spin rates on two distinct breaking pitches, an upper-70s curveball with quality depth and a low-80s slider with sharper action.

Humphries has just begun focusing on his low-80s changeup, which fades and shows flashes of solid upside. He doesn't have the prettiest arm action or most consistent delivery, so he may never have more than average control or fringy command. While he'll need time to develop, he has a higher ceiling than most of Cleveland's mound prospects and could blossom into a mid-rotation starter. 

Scouting grades: Fastball: 55 | Curveball: 50 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 45 | Overall: 40 

After pitching Fuquay-Varina HS to the North Carolina 4-A state championship as a junior and performing well at the Super 60 showcase in February 2022, Humphries looked like he was building momentum toward the early rounds of last year's Draft. An inconsistent senior season hurt his stock a bit, but he still landed late third-round money ($600,000) as an eighth-rounder. He has impressed in the early stages of his pro debut this summer in the Rookie-level Arizona Complex League. 

Humphries usually operates at 90-93 mph and touches 95 with armside run on his fastball. He generates high spin rates on two separate breaking balls, with his low-80s slider grading better than his upper-70s curveball. His fading low-80s changeup is still in its nascent stages but shows the upside of becoming a solid offering. 

Humphries isn't particularly projectable or athletic, so he'll need to prove he can maintain quality stuff deep into games and over a full pro season in order to remain a starter. He lacks consistency with his control and command, though he does show the ability to miss bats. He'll need time to develop but comes with a higher ceiling than most of the left-handers in Cleveland's system. 

Video scouting report »

Scouting grades: Fastball: 55 | Curveball: 50 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 45 | Overall: 45 

Humphries pitched Fuquay-Varina HS to the North Carolina 4-A state title in 2021, winning the clincher for the Bengals' second championship in three years. He raised his profile with a strong performance at the Super 60 showcase in February and looked like he could be the next in line of recent North Carolina standout prep southpaws that includes MacKenzie Gore, Blake Walston, D.J. Herz, Liam Norris and Josh Hartle. His stuff and strikes haven't been as good during his senior season, though he still could factor into the top three or four rounds. 

At the Super 60, Humphries worked at 93-95 mph with arm-side run on his fastball and generated high spin rates on a low-80s slider and an upper-70s curveball. This spring, he has sat at 90-93 mph with his heater on his best days and had trouble landing his breaking pitches for strikes. He also has a low-80s changeup with fade that has the potential to become a solid offering. 

Humphries' control and command have wavered as well this spring. He's not particularly projectable or athletic, and it remains to be seen whether he can maintain quality stuff over a long season to remain a starter. He has committed to Campbell, which has produced a pair of early-round arms in Seth Johnson and Thomas Harrington in the last four years.

Transactions

Team	Date	Transaction
	06/14/2026	Lake County Captains activated LHP Jackson Humphries from the 7-day injured list.
	06/02/2026	Lake County Captains placed LHP Jackson Humphries on the 7-day injured list.
	03/05/2026	LHP Jackson Humphries assigned to Cleveland Guardians Prospects.
	04/01/2025	LHP Jackson Humphries assigned to Lake County Captains.
	03/06/2025	activated LHP Jackson Humphries.
	03/07/2024	Cleveland Guardians Prospects activated LHP Jackson Humphries.
	08/08/2023	LHP Jackson Humphries assigned to Lynchburg Hillcats from ACL Guardians.
	08/08/2023	Lynchburg Hillcats activated LHP Jackson Humphries.
	12/01/2022	LHP Jackson Humphries assigned to ACL Guardians.
	07/30/2022	Cleveland Guardians signed LHP Jackson Humphries.
	06/11/2022	College Workout activated LHP Jackson Humphries.
	06/11/2022	College Workout activated LHP Jackson Humphries.
	06/11/2022	LHP Jackson Humphries assigned to College Workout.
	09/15/2021	LHP Jackson Humphries and assigned to Giants (NC '22).