NAME: Sam Bachmann
SCHOOL: Miami University (Ohio)
POSITION: RHP
HEIGHT/WEIGHT: 6’1″ 235
B/T: R/R
D.O.B.: 9/30/99
PREVIOUSLY DRAFTED: No
SCOUTING REPORT:
Bachman stands six feet and one inch tall and weighs 235 lbs. He is physically maxed out, so his body and conditioning are something to monitor going forward. Physically, guys like German Marquez, Liam Hendricks, and Frankie Montas come to mind when looking at the short and stocky Bachman.
As a pitcher, Bachman is a power arm who averaged a little over 14 K/9 this past season. He throws from a low three quarter arm slot with short arm action. He throws a four seam fastball, a slider and a changeup, which is still developing.
During the majority of his first two years at Miami, Bachman’s fastball was registering in the low nineties but after working on his lower half he’s been consistently throwing in the 94mph to 98mph range but he can touch triple digits as well. His fastball shows sink and can generate ground balls.
Bachman’s best pitch is probably his devastating, wipeout slider that is a plus plus pitch. It sits in the high eighties and can get up to 91 mph. It’s the kind of wipeout pitch that is regularly featured on @PitchingNinja with its late drop action.
His changeup has been graded as low as 40 in some publications and as high as 50 in others. If he’s going to be a starter at the next level, he needs to hone that pitch in. It’s a pitch he hasn’t needed in college and probably hasn’t thrown a lot so it should get better with reps.
Bachman has the kind of stuff that can play in the majors right now (how many times am I going to say that in this report). The right hander can certainly help a team out as a reliever as they gear towards the playoffs but because his stuff but his mechanics are so violent and unorthodox, command will always be a concern for him. And that concern is what has some scouts hesitant to label him as a surefire big league starter.
As an underclassman, Bachman averaged 4.1 BB/9 but in 2021, he’s averaging less than 2.6 BB/9. Scouts want to see if the improved command is for real. There’s also been reports of him struggling to go deep into games as well. With him being a max effort pitcher who throws from a three quarter slot, there is some injury risk. He did miss a couple starts early in the season with shoulder soreness but he remained healthy the rest of the way.
Coming out of high school Bachman was the 260th ranked right handed pitcher and the 500th ranked player overall in the nation. He received only two scholarships to play D1 ball. This is someone who has made himself into a first round caliber player. So any team who drafts him should be getting someone with a high work ethic and character.
SCOUTING GRADES
These scouting grades are from mlbpipeline.com. Bachman’s grades probably fluctuate across publications.
FASTBALL: 70
SLIDER: 65
CHANGEUP: 55
CONTROL: 50
OVERALL: 55
Prospect Overview:
Bachman has the kind of stuff that can play in the majors right now, he can certainly help a team out as a reliever as they gear towards the playoffs but if he can manage to refine his command and work on going deeper into starts, Bachman projects to be a middle of the rotation arm.
Worst case scenario, he’s a high leverage bullpen arm or a multi inning super reliever. Either way, you’re getting a very useful piece for a winning baseball team.
Sam Bachman vs Ball State
FIT WITH SOX:
Last year with the 11th overall pick, the Chicago White Sox took southpaw Garrett Crochet out of the University of Tennessee. Pundits and armchair scouts debated over whether or not Crochet would be a starter or a reliever long term but one thing was for certain, the Sox were getting a weapon. Sam Bachman would be another powerful tool for the arsenal.
Long term, the Sox need to find starters who can eventually replace both Dallas Keuchel and Lance Lynn who are both on short term deals and the wrong side of 30. Short term, the Sox desperately need to upgrade their underachieving bullpen for the playoff push. The team doesn’t have a dependable guy who can give the ball to Liam Hendricks for the ninth.
Bachman would check those boxes. Also the Sox have been targeting high velo arms as of late, Bachman brings the heat. He could fit along nicely beside Kopech, Crochet, Thompson and Vera. Mike Shirley seems to love guys with loud tools, Bachman’s tools scream. He should be the first player in this class to make the bigs.
Mike Shirley likes guys with loud tools, Bachman would be his type.
MOCK DRAFTS
In their first mock draft of the year, FanGraph’s Kevin Goldstein and Eric Longenhagen had Bachman going 16th overall to the Miami Marlins due to their penchant for targeting power arms. FanGraphs has Bachman ranked as the 18th best player in the draft class according to The Board. Prospects Live has Bachman ranked as the tenth best player in the class. The Athletic’s Keith Law has Bachman going to the Mets with the tenth pick in the draft in his latest Mock and Baseball America has the flamethrower going to the Yankees with the twentieth pick in the draft.
In the latest mock draft from MLB Pipeline, Bachman is slated to go 11th overall to the Nationals, who are no strangers to taking college pitchers in the first round but in one of their earlier mock drafts Jim Callis had the White Sox selecting Sam Bachman with the #22 pick. Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo have Bachman as the 14th best player in the class.
It seems that Bachman’s draft range starts with the Mets at the tenth pick and he could end up falling into the early twenties at the latest. He could fall to the Sox at 22, especially with guys like Gavin Williams shooting up draft boards and injured pitchers like Gunnar Hoglund sticking around in the first round.
Photo courtesy of MLB.com
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