Joe Musgrove Stats & Scouting Report — College Baseball, MLB Draft, Prospects

IP	18.1
ERA	6.87
WHIP	1.75
BB/9	3.44
SO/9	8.35

Full name Joseph Anthony Musgrove
Born 12/04/1992 in El Cajon, CA
Profile Ht.: 6'5" / Wt.: 230 / Bats: R / Throws: R
School Grossmont
Debut 08/02/2016
Drafted in the C-A round (46th overall) by the Toronto Blue Jays in 2011 (signed for $500,000).

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Musgrove has improved his stock as much as any prep player in Southern California this spring. He was solid but unspectacular at the Southern California Invitational Showcase at the MLB Urban Youth Academy in February, working in the 88-91 mph range. Since then, his velocity has jumped, and many scouts now regard him as the best high school righthander in the region's thin crop. Musgrove, a San Diego State commit, has a physical 6-foot-5, 225-pound frame and an easy delivery. For most of this spring his fastball has sat comfortably in the 90-92 mph range with heavy sink, and he can reach back for 93-94 when he needs to. At his best, some scouts say they saw him touch 97-98, to go along with a hammer curveball in the 76-82 mph range. Usually, though, he throws a three-quarters slurve in the 77-80 range. Musgrove also mixes in a split-change. A former offensive and defensive lineman for the Grossmont football team, Musgrove is a tenacious competitor. He still has to work on repeating his delivery more consistently and fine-tuning his secondary stuff, but it's easy to dream on him becoming a big league workhorse starter.

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Organization Prospect Rankings

Musgrove was part of the 10-player Blue Jays-Astros trade that sent J.A. Happ to Toronto. It took Musgrove a long time to blossom. A sprained rotator cuff cost him almost all of the 2012 season, and he missed time in 2013 with a sprained UCL elbow ligament. Finally healthy, Musgrove broke out in 2015, dominating three levels. He has plus command/control already--at one point he had a 66-2 strikeout-to-walk ratio. He owns the inner half of the plate with boring life on his 90-93 mph fastball that reaches 95 whenever he needs it. Musgrove's fastball is a plus pitch thanks to its movement and his command. His 80-85 mph slider is an average offering but it also plays up because he can spot it so well--he'll backdoor it, make it a chase pitch and generally make hitters defend both sides of the plate at all times. His 80-85 mph changeup is an average offering as well. Musgrove has a strong body and clean delivery, and his injury issues are now several years in the past. He was shut down in August just to limit his innings. With his combination of stuff and command he could eventually be a No. 3 starter and he could reach Houston in 2016.
Drafted by the Blue Jays in 2011 and signed for $500,000, Musgrove stalled in short-season ball after getting traded to the Astros in a 10-player deal in July 2012, hampered by injuries that had kept him grounded in the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League. While he hasn't reached full-season ball yet, Musgrove regained his shine in 2014 at short-season Tri-City, where he ranked as one of the better pitching prospects in the New York-Penn League. Musgrove works downhill with a low- to mid-90s fastball that peaked at 97 mph, and the plus velocity is magnified by armside movement, for his heater bores in on righthanders. He has a three-pitch mix that includes an inconsistent but at times plus curveball and a promising changeup. He profiles as a mid-rotation workhorse. He'll jump to low Class A Quad Cities in 2015.
Musgrove had a solid outing at the Southern California Invitational Showcase at Major League Baseball's Urban Youth Academy to kick off his high school senior season in 2011, and he improved his stock as much as any prepster in the state as the season wore on. The Blue Jays took him 47th overall and inked him quickly for a below-slot $500,000 bonus, the lowest among the six players they signed in the first two rounds. Musgrove was more than a money-saver, however. His heavy fastball has the best combination of velocity and life among all the power arms Toronto signed last summer, sitting at 90-94 mph and touching 98. He has two breaking balls, and the Jays will have him concentrate on sharpening his slider. His curveball shows some power too, with downer action and high-70s velocity. He uses a splitter as a changeup. Musgrove has an easy delivery. He's working to get a little more length to his arm stroke in the back while separating his hands closer to his waist in order to get more angle and plane on his pitches. He got a jump on many of Toronto's other 2011 draftees by signing quickly, so he could open his first full pro season in low Class A. He projects to be a workhorse starter thanks to his big, durable body and stuff.

Minor League Top Prospects

Musgrove pitched his way from Double-A Corpus Christi to Fresno in May and worked effectively in the PCL before Houston summoned him to the majors on Aug. 2. Musgrove throws three above-average pitches, but his best skill is dynamic command. His fastball sits 91-93 mph and can reach 96, and some observers rate it as a plus weapon. He boasts a hard slider that he spots well throughout the zone and is using it more as a putaway pitch when he gets ahead in the count. His changeup rates as plus. With a 6-foot-5, workhorse frame, Musgrove is a safe bet to become a mid-rotation starter who attacks the strike zone, misses bats and helps himself by holding baserunners and fielding his position. He is athletic for a pitcher his size, and Fresno manager Tony DeFrancesco sees him as having Gold Glove potential
Originally drafted by the Blue Jays, Musgrove stalled out in Rookie ball after getting traded to the Astros as part of the 10-player J.A. Happ deal in July 2012. He got his career back on track this summer in the NYPL, where he tied for second in the league in strikeouts (67) and wins (seven) while walking just 1.2 batters per nine innings. Big and physical, Musgrove works downhill with a low- to mid-90s fastball that peaked at 97 mph this summer. His heater has heavy sink down in the zone but can flatten out at higher velocities. "He broke a lot of bats, because he's got plus velocity with movement that bores in on righthanded hitters," Brooklyn manager Tom Gamboa said. "He's a big, strong, intimidating presence on the mound. He's aggressive and has command of three pitches." Musgrove's fastball is his bread and butter, but he also flashes a plus curveball and a changeup that can be effective against lefties, though he needs to become more consistent with his secondary stuff. He has the size, stuff, competitiveness and control to become a mid-rotation workhorse in the big leagues.
The Blue Jays had four picks in the supplemental first round this year and used the 46th overall choice on Musgrove, an extra-large high school righthander. He has a sound delivery and fires heavy 90-94 mph fastballs with some scouts seeing him touch 98 mph as an amateur. Musgrove will flash a hammer curveball but more often it's a slurvy pitch with three-quarters break, and he'll throw an occasional split-change. He'll need to refine his secondary pitches and learn to repeat his delivery, though he did a good job of throwing strikes in his first crack at pro ball.

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Career Transactions

San Diego Padres placed RHP Joe Musgrove on the 15-day injured list retroactive to August 1, 2023. Right shoulder capsule inflammation.
San Diego Padres activated RHP Joe Musgrove from the 15-day injured list.
San Diego Padres sent RHP Joe Musgrove on a rehab assignment to Lake Elsinore Storm.
San Diego Padres sent RHP Joe Musgrove on a rehab assignment to El Paso Chihuahuas.
San Diego Padres placed RHP Joe Musgrove on the 15-day injured list retroactive to March 27, 2023. Left big toe fracture.