5/1/09

Mets Prospect - SP - Scott Moviel




Scott Moviel SP R R 6-10 245 5-7-88 St. Edwards High School (Ohio)

Moviel was drafted in the 2nd round of the 2007 draft by the Mets. He finished his last season this year in high school, going 3-2 1.47 and striking out 69 batters in 38 IP. Moviel’s fast ball tops off at 94 and is quite intimidating on the mound, standing 6-10 and weighing 245 pounds.

BA Scouting Report:

The Andrew Brackman comparisons are obvious. Product of an Ohio high school? Check. Signed to play in college at North Carolina State? Check. Huge body that has scouts dreaming of a monster frontline starter? Check. Unlike Brackman, Moviel doesn't have a basketball scholarship, but he has played the sport in high school. He's an intimidating 6-foot-10 and 245 pounds and athletic for his size. He has a 91-92 mph fastball that tops out at 94, and he has tightened up a curveball that was loopy a year ago. Brackman had similar stuff when he came out of Cincinnati's Moeller High three years ago, though his breaking ball was better. As with any large pitcher, there are concerns as to how well Moviel will repeat his delivery and command his pitches. His mechanics don't have any major flaws, though he could do a better job of staying on top of his pitches. Because his older brothers Paul (in the Devil Rays system) and Greg (in the Mariners organization) went backward in college, Moviel is considered signable, especially if he goes in the top three rounds as expected. Rated 68th Nationally.

Another scouting report:

Moviel threw his fastball in the 88-92 mph range and threw it consistently at 90 mph. Curve: Moviel's curve has the chance to be a good offering, but he gets in front of it a little too much and his mechanics sometime get in the way of consistently delivering the pitch. Changeup: He showed a changeup, but he didn't throw it much in this outing. Control: With all that can go wrong with a 6-foot-10 pitcher's delivery, Moviel can struggle with his command when his mechanics go awry. Poise: Moviel had very good mound presence and stands out there like he wants to win. Physical Description: Big, imposing right-hander, much like NC State starter Andrew Brackman. Like Brackman, Moviel could be headed to NC State and is a former basketball player, so he's fairly athletic, especially for someone his size. He's very coordinated and has surprising quickness. Medical Update: Healthy. Strengths: The body plus the arm strength. At 6-10, Moviel could have the ability to throw a plus, plus fastball to go along with an above-average curve. It's all about projectability. Weaknesses: He's a project. He struggles with inconsistency and guys his size have to make sure they have everything completely together for everything to work properly. His pitches past his fastball lag behind currently. Summary: Moviel is a huge 6-foot-10 right-hander who'll be a bit of a project for whichever team takes him. He is fairly athletic and used to play basketball, but as is often the case with pitchers his size, he struggles to repeat his delivery and maintain his mechanics. He does have a solid average fastball, a curve that could become a good pitch with some help and a changeup he doesn't throw much. Finding consistency will be the key to Moviel's success. Some pitchers his size have found it, others have not.

Moviel was drafted in the 2nd round of the 2007 draft by the New York Mets. He was signed and assigned to the GCL Mets, where he went 0-2, 3.38 in 12 appearances. He also had 37 Ks in 40.0 IP.

In September 2007, Baseball America ranked Moviel as the 14th in the Gulf Coast League.

In November 2007, Scouts.com named him the 18th top Mets prospect.

In December 2007, Jonathan Mayo/MLB wrote about Moviel:



The big second-rounder is 6-foot-10 and a former basketball player. While he's very athletic, he has a live arm and showed a decent idea of how to pitch during his debut. He was pretty good in the GCL, posting a 3.38 ERA and 37 K's in 40 IP.



In late January 2007, Baseball America ranked Moviel as the 12th overall Mets prospect, adding:



"has excellent athleticism and coordination for a pitcher his size"



In February 2008, Baseball Prospectus awarded Moviel a 2-star prospect rating and ranked him as the 7th overall Mets prospect.



Also in February 2008, Rotoworld ranked Moviel as the #13 Mets prospect.



In March 2008, BA wrote an article on the top ten prospects to watch out for in 2008:



Scott Moviel, RHP



There's no doubt Moviel, the Mets' second-round pick last June, will stand out in a crowd. At 6-foot-11, that much is certain. It also seems like the kid can pitch a little. Moviel has proven to be extremely coordinated and athletic, especially considering his size. He throws three pitches -- fastball, changeup and breaking pitch -- and he's got plenty of potential for increased velocity. The breaking ball is what needs the most work; right now, it's a curve and he'll continue to develop it. Though he's just out of high school, his athleticism should help him handle a full-season assignment in Savannah.



Moviel spent much of 2008 dinged up, but still managed to post a combined record of 10-8, 4.25 in 25 starts for Savannah and St. Lucie.



February 2009: - Toby Hyde’s #9 Prospect - RHP Scott Moviel - Why Ranked Here: Moviel combines height, athletic genes and potential into an intriguing package for a pitching prospect. Height first: he’s somewhere close to 6’10”. That allows him to get good downward plane on pitches and keep them down in the zone. When he releases his fastball, he’s just a little closer to home plate than the average pitcher, so it jumps on hitters. One of the points of emphasis for Moviel at the start of the ’08 campaign was to pitch tall and use his height. He’s quick to learn however, and in the course of the last year played with and modified the grips on most of his pitches to produce better results, learning both from teammates and his brothers who played professional baseball before him. In July, Moviel did not show a true plus pitch. Rather, he showed the potential to acquire them. Moviel worked for a fastball that was in the range of MLB average, sitting around 90, 91. He located the pitch well for a pitcher his age. At other times he has thrown harder, but he was dialing the velocity down in favor of strikes. His second offering was a slurvy curveball that he had really excellent feel for. He could spin the below average offering for strikes. His touch for the pitch leaves hope that he will be able to tighten the offering up into a plus offering, by finishing out front better more consistently. His changeup was the least reliable of his offerings, but he felt as though he was making progress with it. Mets staff universally praise Moviel’s work ethic and preparation. 2008: Jumping from the GCL in 2007 to the SAL to begin 2008, Moviel allowed 21 runs in 17.2 IP in April, but improved dramatically after that rough start. After June 1, Moviel put together a 3.17 ERA while fanning 48 batters and walking just 16 in 71 IP while producing GB/FB ratios near two. That K/BB ratio of three is excellent. As he moves up, Moviel will need to produce not just grounders, but learn to miss more bats and drive his K rate up. In a nice move, the Mets promoted Moviel to the Florida State League for his final start on August 30th to prepare him for the challenge of Advanced-A in 2009. He responded with five shutout innings. Moviel also proved that he was durable, making 25 starts and throwing 125 innings in his first full professional season. Projected 2009 Start: St. Lucie rotation


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