Scouting Report

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Scouting grades: Fastball: 60 | Curveball: 55 | Slider: 60 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 40 | Overall: 50

Bruns made a huge splash at the Perfect Game National showcase last June, reaching 97 mph with his fastball and displaying two quality breaking balls. He never approached that performance the rest of the summer as his control disintegrated to the point where he had innings rolled over at multiple events. He's doing a better job of finding the plate this spring and has more pure stuff than any prep left-hander available, though he's still an extreme risk/reward play. 

Gatorade's Alabama high school player of the year, Bruns can work in the mid-90s for several innings and top out at 98 mph with some late life on his fastball, though he'll also dial it back into the low 90s on days when he's struggling to provide strikes. His best secondary pitch is an 83-85 mph slider with tilt, and he also can display a plus curveball with good spin and 12-6 break, but his bender often sits in the mid-70s because he doesn't fully trust his ability to land it. He also has a decent low-80s changeup with fade but little need to use it in games. 

Though Bruns' high arm slot provides downhill plane on his fastball and allows him to stay on top of his breaking pitches, he doesn't look completely comfortable and stills wings balls off the backstop. Some scouts think his stuff can be good enough to make him a big league starter with below-average control, while others worry he could max out as a reliever difficult to trust in high-leverage situations. If he winds up at Mississippi State, he'll be eligible for the 2023 Draft as a sophomore.

Scouting grades: Fastball: 60 | Curveball: 60 | Slider: 60 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 40 | Overall: 45

One of the biggest enigmas in the 2021 Draft, Bruns showcased some of the best pure stuff in that prep class but rarely displayed the ability to harness it on a consistent basis. He did win Gatorade's Alabama prep player of the year award as a senior and the Dodgers loved his upside enough to select him 29th overall and sign him for $2,197,500. He continued to display a tantalizing arsenal and a lack of control while going 0-12 with a 4.92 ERA in 51 starts over his first two-plus years as a pro.

Bruns throws harder than most left-handers, operating in the mid-90s and topping out at 98 mph with a fastball that's tough to barrel thanks to its combination of velocity and carry. Both of his breaking pitches grade as well above average at their best, as his upper-70s curveball can be a true hammer and his mid-80s slider features plenty of sweep. His fading mid-80s changeup has the potential to become average, though he doesn't use it very often.

Bruns has made some strides with his pitchability, cutting his walk rate from 9.1 per nine innings in his first full pro season to 6.2 in his second, though he'll need to refine his control much more to remain a starter. Los Angeles has helped him clean up his strong 6-foot-2 frame and his mechanics, having him use a high three-quarters slot rather than the over-the-top delivery he employed in high school. He has the upside of a mid-rotation starter but a greater likelihood of becoming a power reliever.

Scouting grades: Fastball: 60 | Curveball: 60 | Slider: 60 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 40 | Overall: 45 

Bruns was an enigma as an Alabama high schooler, displaying some of the best pure stuff in the 2021 class but also little track record of taming it. He showed more consistency as a senior, winning Gatorade state player of the year honors before Los Angeles selected him 29th overall and signed him for $2,197,500. He opened his first full season with 18 strikeouts versus just two walks in 8 1/3 innings in April before his control fell apart in May, and he never got back on track after missing a month with a mild lat strain. 

Bruns continues to show three pitches that can grade as well above average when they're on. His fastball can sit in the mid-90s and top out at 98 mph with good carry up in the zone, his upper-70s curveball can be a hammer and his mid-80s slider can sweep past hitters. He shows the makings of an average low-80s changeup with fade but barely has used it while working abbreviated outings as a pro. 

The Dodgers have helped Bruns clean up his body and his delivery, and he now throws from a high three-quarters slot rather than straight over the top like he did in high school. He still needs to improve the timing and consistency of his mechanics. He has the stuff to pitch in the front half of a rotation with even fringy control and command but has a long ways to go after walking 52 batters in his first 49 1/3 pro innings.

Scouting grades: Fastball: 60 | Curveball: 60 | Slider: 60 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 40 | Overall: 50 

Bruns had some of the best pure stuff in the 2021 high school class but also a mixed history of being able to harness it. After struggling to find the strike zone on the showcase circuit, he did a better job last spring en route to being named Gatorade's Alabama high school player of the year and becoming the Dodgers' first-round pick. The first of 14 straight pitchers selected by Los Angeles last July, he walked seven in five innings in Rookie ball after signing for $2,197,500. 

When Bruns is dialed in, he can work with a mid-90s fastball for several innings and reach 98 mph with good carry up in the strike zone. He also can spin a pair of plus breaking balls, an upper-70s downer curveball with quality depth and an 83-85 mph slider with nice tilt. He didn't need his low-80s changeup much as an amateur and will have to use it more often and improve its action against more advanced hitters. 

Bruns has a dynamic delivery with a high three-quarters arm slot and the ingredients to become a frontline starter if he can develop reliable control and command. He repeatedly lost feel for the zone in the summer before his senior season and had to dial his pitches back in order to try to get them over the plate. The Dodgers have a track record of helping prospects maximize their talents and were encouraged by the early returns from instructional league and winter camp.

Scouting grades: Fastball: 60 | Curveball: 55 | Slider: 60 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 40 | Overall: 50

Bruns created excitement when he hit 97 mph with his fastball and backed it up with a pair of quality breaking pitches at the Perfect Game National event in June 2020, looking worthy of being one of the first prep pitchers drafted in 2021. But he never repeated that performance during the rest of the showcase circuit as his control disintegrated to the point where he had innings rolled over multiple times. Gatorade's 2021 Alabama high school player of the year, he had the best pure stuff of any prep left-hander in his class and did a better job of harnessing it this spring, so the Dodgers took him with the final pick in the first round (29th overall) and signed him for $2,197,500.

Bruns can keep his fastball in the mid-90s for several innings and reach 98 with some late life, though he sometimes has to dial it back into the low 90s when he has trouble finding the strike zone. His 83-85 mph slider has nice tilt and gives him a second plus pitch. His curveball can earn similar grades with good spin and downer break, though it parks in the mid-70s at times when he loses his feel for landing it.

Some scouts believe Bruns' stuff is good enough to make him a big league starter despite below-average control, while others think he might peak as a reliever who can't be trusted in high-leverage situations. To remain in the rotation, he'll need to refine his control and command as well as his changeup, a decent low-80s offering he didn't need much as an amateur. While he's still an extreme risk/reward play, Los Angeles has a knack for player development and he has the upside of a frontline starter.

Transactions

Team	Date	Transaction
	08/02/2024	Great Lakes Loons activated LHP Maddux Bruns from the 60-day injured list.
	07/23/2024	Great Lakes Loons transferred LHP Maddux Bruns from the 7-day injured list to the 60-day injured list.
	05/28/2024	Great Lakes Loons placed LHP Maddux Bruns on the 7-day injured list.
	04/27/2024	LHP Maddux Bruns assigned to Great Lakes Loons from Dodgers Organization.
	04/02/2024	LHP Maddux Bruns assigned to Dodgers Organization from Great Lakes Loons.
	05/11/2023	LHP Maddux Bruns assigned to Great Lakes Loons from Rancho Cucamonga Quakes.
	04/04/2023	LHP Maddux Bruns assigned to Rancho Cucamonga Quakes.
	09/10/2022	LHP Maddux Bruns assigned to ACL Dodgers from Rancho Cucamonga Quakes.
	09/03/2022	Rancho Cucamonga Quakes activated LHP Maddux Bruns.
	08/26/2022	Rancho Cucamonga Quakes transferred LHP Maddux Bruns to the Development List.
	06/30/2022	Rancho Cucamonga Quakes activated LHP Maddux Bruns from the 7-day injured list.
	06/30/2022	Rancho Cucamonga Quakes activated LHP Maddux Bruns from the 7-day injured list.
	06/01/2022	Rancho Cucamonga Quakes placed LHP Maddux Bruns on the 7-day injured list.
	04/05/2022	LHP Maddux Bruns assigned to Rancho Cucamonga Quakes from ACL Dodgers.
	08/25/2021	LHP Maddux Bruns assigned to ACL Dodgers from Dodgers Organization.
	08/17/2021	LHP Maddux Bruns assigned to Dodgers Organization.
	07/21/2021	Los Angeles Dodgers signed LHP Maddux Bruns.
	06/15/2020	LHP Maddux Bruns assigned to PG National 10 - Red.
	06/15/2020	LHP Maddux Bruns assigned to PG National 10 - Red.
	07/23/2019	LHP Maddux Bruns assigned to 17U National Team Development Program.