Chase Petty

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Cincinnati Reds #5 prospect in 2024
  BA Grade: 55/High
  
  Track Record: Petty’s transformation from thrower to pitcher happened remarkably quickly. In high school, he was known for a 100 mph fastball, a high-effort delivery and shaky control. Acquired from the Twins in the March 2022 Sonny Gray trade, Petty now is a clever, consistent strike-thrower who rarely tops 95 mph. His 1.72 ERA, compiled mostly at High-A Dayton, was second-best among minor league pitchers with 60 or more innings.
  
  Scouting Report: Petty missed the first month of the 2023 season with a minor elbow injury but had no issues taking his turn for 18 starts--though the Reds never let him work past four innings or 65 pitches. Petty’s savvy and consistency is notable. A slider/fastball pitcher in high school, he has refined his changeup and added a four-seam fastball as a pro. He commands his average 92-95 mph two-seamer, working low in the zone to his glove side to righties and armside to lefties. He manipulates his plus slider. It’s usually a hard, cutter-ish 87-89 mph pitch that can dominate in the zone. He throws it for strikes as consistently as his fastball, which means he can flip a count or get soft contact against hitters looking for his fastball. He can add more depth on his slider for two-strike chases. Petty has complete belief in his above-average, hard 87-89 mph changeup. Against lefty-heavy lineups, he’ll rely on it until hitters prove they can handle it.
  
  The Future: Petty’s combination of plus control and command and ability to use three pitches is what scouts look for in a midrotation starter. He has yet to show he can handle the workload of a starter, but caution is understandable, because he won’t turn 21 until the 2024 season starts. He’s lined up for a return to Chattanooga.
  
  Scouting Grades Fastball: 50 | Slider: 60 | Changeup: 55 | Control: 60
• 
  Ranked Cincinnati Reds #6 prospect in 2023
  BA Grade/Risk: 50/High
  
  Track Record: As a New Jersey prep product, Petty got plenty of attention heading into his senior year at Mainland Regional High by popping a 102 mph fastball in a preseason workout. He flashed 100 mph heat in his draft year, albeit with a high-effort, funky delivery. After the Twins selected him 26th overall, they helped him tone down his effort and focus on becoming a sinker/slider pitcher. Petty's velocity dipped, but his feel and control improved significantly. Traded to the Reds for righthander Sonny Gray in March 2022, Petty showed durability, consistency and feel to pitch as he logged 98.1 innings between Low-A and High-A in the Reds' system.
  
  Scouting Report: For all his gaudy fastball readings in high school, Petty is more of a pitcher than a thrower. He proved to be a much more polished pitcher in 2022 than he had appeared to be in high school. Petty has focused on working down in the zone with a two-seam fastball, a hard, potentially above-average slider and a quickly improving changeup. Petty topped at 95-97 mph in 2022 and generally sat in the 92-94 range, but he filled the zone with above-average control and command. Petty was limited to 50-70 pitches per outing, but he managed to still get through four to five innings on those limited pitch counts because he worked efficiently. The Reds have worked on helping him add a four-seamer that changes hitters' eye levels, but it's not as consistent as his two-seamer. His split-changeup has given him a pitch to keep lefthanded hitter from getting comfortable and has potential to be above-average.
  
  The Future: Petty aced the test of his first full pro season, handling a jump to High-A and getting better as the season progressed. He projects as a solid No. 3 or No. 4 starter with multiple ways to attack hitters and above-average control.
  
  Scouting Grades: Fastball: 60. Slider: 55. Changeup: 55. Control: 55.
• 
  Ranked Minnesota Twins #7 prospect in 2022
  Track Record: Petty was the hardest-throwing high school arm in the 2021 class, and after touching 102 mph he joined an exclusive group of prep flamethrowers you can count on one hand. With that velocity comes plenty of risk, as many hard-throwing high school righthanders have struggled to reach their lofty expectations, but the Twins were excited enough with Petty to make him their first prep righthander in the first round since Kohl Stewart (2013).
  
  Scouting Report: With Petty’s fastball and slider, he has a pair of pitches that have legitimate 70-grade potential. The fastball velocity speaks for itself, but scouts also loved the immense life on the pitch. Petty gets tremendous arm-side run and sink on his fastball which should make it tough for opposing hitters to barrel up, even if it’s not the four-seam riding life that’s currently popular in front offices. Petty didn’t use his changeup much in high school, so it’s a heavy projection pitch that he’ll need to develop more feel with, but some scouts with Minnesota think it can become a plus offering as well. Petty is short but strong, and he’s a plus athlete with impressive arm speed, although he gets erratic at times and there’s plenty of effort in his delivery. The Twins have been working to keep Petty’s arm slot up in the three-quarter range, where he’s able to get bowling ball life on his fastball and two-plane, snapdragon bite on the slider. When his slot drops, his fastball runs too much and his slider gets sweepy.
  
  The Future: Petty’s upside is significant, but his specific player demographic is inherently risky and he’ll need plenty of time to develop.
  

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #29 prospect in 2021 draft
  Petty is the most famous prep pitcher in the country thanks to a fastball that has been up to 102 mph in a bullpen and 101 in a game this spring. He's one of the hardest-throwing high school pitchers ever, up there with Reds righthander Hunter Greene, who went No. 2 overall in 2017 and also touched 102 mph. In games, Petty's fastball has sat 93-96 mph at times and mid-to-upper 90s in other starts. He complements his fastball with an out pitch in his slider, which has tight spin and sharp bite at its best, though at times it has flattened out on him. It's a pitch that flashes plus and shows glimpses of a potential plus-plus pitch in the future. Petty doesn't need his changeup against high school hitters so he rarely throws it, but he has shown feel for that pitch too. Petty's raw stuff suggests considerable upside, but high school righthanders are a risky group as a whole and Petty has several red flags that give teams reservations. He's a good athlete but it's not an easy, fluid delivery, with considerable effort to his arm action and mechanics. His fastball control has also been erratic, with a tendency to yank the ball well out of the strike zone, especially to his glove side. That causes him to fall behind in too many counts and might lead to a high walk rate early in his pro career. Petty's slider misses a lot of bats, though some scouts have said his fastball doesn't lead to as many swings and misses as they would expect given his velocity. He rarely throws his changeup and it's inconsistent, but some scouts think it has above-average potential too. Petty's profile is similar to Lance McCullers from when he was in high school touching triple-digits with a good slider but also had reliever risk and pitchability questions. If Petty proves durable and can rein in his control, his upside is obvious, but his risk factors are ones that teams weigh more heavily now than they did even a few years ago.

• February, 2023 Scouting Report
  BA Grade/Risk: 50/High
  
  Track Record: As a New Jersey prep product, Petty got plenty of attention heading into his senior year at Mainland Regional High by popping a 102 mph fastball in a preseason workout. He flashed 100 mph heat in his draft year, albeit with a high-effort, funky delivery. After the Twins selected him 26th overall, they helped him tone down his effort and focus on becoming a sinker/slider pitcher. Petty's velocity dipped, but his feel and control improved significantly. Traded to the Reds for righthander Sonny Gray in March 2022, Petty showed durability, consistency and feel to pitch as he logged 98.1 innings between Low-A and High-A in the Reds' system.
  
  Scouting Report: For all his gaudy fastball readings in high school, Petty is more of a pitcher than a thrower. He proved to be a much more polished pitcher in 2022 than he had appeared to be in high school. Petty has focused on working down in the zone with a two-seam fastball, a hard, potentially above-average slider and a quickly improving changeup. Petty topped at 95-97 mph in 2022 and generally sat in the 92-94 range, but he filled the zone with above-average control and command. Petty was limited to 50-70 pitches per outing, but he managed to still get through four to five innings on those limited pitch counts because he worked efficiently. The Reds have worked on helping him add a four-seamer that changes hitters' eye levels, but it's not as consistent as his two-seamer. His split-changeup has given him a pitch to keep lefthanded hitter from getting comfortable and has potential to be above-average.
  
  The Future: Petty aced the test of his first full pro season, handling a jump to High-A and getting better as the season progressed. He projects as a solid No. 3 or No. 4 starter with multiple ways to attack hitters and above-average control.
  
  Scouting Grades: Fastball: 60. Slider: 55. Changeup: 55. Control: 55.
• December, 2022 Scouting Report
  BA Grade/Risk: 50/High
  
  Track Record: As a New Jersey prep product, Petty got plenty of attention heading into his senior year at Mainland Regional High by popping a 102 mph fastball in a preseason workout. He flashed 100 mph heat in his draft year, albeit with a high-effort, funky delivery. After the Twins selected him 26th overall, they helped him tone down his effort and focus on becoming a sinker/slider pitcher. Petty's velocity dipped, but his feel and control improved significantly. Traded to the Reds for righthander Sonny Gray in March 2022, Petty showed durability, consistency and feel to pitch as he logged 98.1 innings between Low-A and High-A in the Reds' system.
  
  Scouting Report: For all his gaudy fastball readings in high school, Petty is more of a pitcher than a thrower. He proved to be a much more polished pitcher in 2022 than he had appeared to be in high school. Petty has focused on working down in the zone with a two-seam fastball, a hard, potentially above-average slider and a quickly improving changeup. Petty topped at 95-97 mph in 2022 and generally sat in the 92-94 range, but he filled the zone with above-average control and command. Petty was limited to 50-70 pitches per outing, but he managed to still get through four to five innings on those limited pitch counts because he worked efficiently. The Reds have worked on helping him add a four-seamer that changes hitters' eye levels, but it's not as consistent as his two-seamer. His split-changeup has given him a pitch to keep lefthanded hitter from getting comfortable and has potential to be above-average.
  
  The Future: Petty aced the test of his first full pro season, handling a jump to High-A and getting better as the season progressed. He projects as a solid No. 3 or No. 4 starter with multiple ways to attack hitters and above-average control.
  
  Scouting Grades: Fastball: 60. Slider: 55. Changeup: 55. Control: 55.
• April, 2022 Scouting Report
  BA Grade: 55/Extreme
  
  Track Record: Petty was the hardest-throwing high school arm in the 2021 class, and after touching 102 mph he joined an exclusive group of prep flamethrowers you can count on one hand. With that velocity comes plenty of risk, as many hard-throwing high school righthanders have struggled to reach their lofty expectations, but the Twins were excited enough with Petty to make him their first prep righthander in the first round since Kohl Stewart (2013).
  
  Scouting Report: With Petty&#39s fastball and slider, he has a pair of pitches that have legitimate 70-grade potential. The fastball velocity speaks for itself, but scouts also loved the immense life on the pitch. Petty gets tremendous arm-side run and sink on his fastball which should make it tough for opposing hitters to barrel up, even if it&#39s not the four-seam riding life that&#39s currently popular in front offices. Petty didn&#39t use his changeup much in high school, so it&#39s a heavy projection pitch that he&#39ll need to develop more feel with, but some scouts with Minnesota think it can become a plus offering as well. Petty is short but strong, and he&#39s a plus athlete with impressive arm speed, although he gets erratic at times and there&#39s plenty of effort in his delivery. The Twins have been working to keep Petty&#39s arm slot up in the three-quarter range, where he&#39s able to get bowling ball life on his fastball and two-plane, snapdragon bite on the slider. When his slot drops, his fastball runs too much and his slider gets sweepy.
  
  The Future: Petty&#39s upside is significant, but his specific player demographic is inherently risky and he&#39ll need plenty of time to develop.
  
  Scouting Grades: Fastball: 70. Slider: 70. Changeup: 55. Control: 50.
• December, 2021 Scouting Report
  Track Record: Petty was the hardest-throwing high school arm in the 2021 class, and after touching 102 mph he joined an exclusive group of prep flamethrowers you can count on one hand. With that velocity comes plenty of risk, as many hard-throwing high school righthanders have struggled to reach their lofty expectations, but the Twins were excited enough with Petty to make him their first prep righthander in the first round since Kohl Stewart (2013).
  
  Scouting Report: With Petty’s fastball and slider, he has a pair of pitches that have legitimate 70-grade potential. The fastball velocity speaks for itself, but scouts also loved the immense life on the pitch. Petty gets tremendous arm-side run and sink on his fastball which should make it tough for opposing hitters to barrel up, even if it’s not the four-seam riding life that’s currently popular in front offices. Petty didn’t use his changeup much in high school, so it’s a heavy projection pitch that he’ll need to develop more feel with, but some scouts with Minnesota think it can become a plus offering as well. Petty is short but strong, and he’s a plus athlete with impressive arm speed, although he gets erratic at times and there’s plenty of effort in his delivery. The Twins have been working to keep Petty’s arm slot up in the three-quarter range, where he’s able to get bowling ball life on his fastball and two-plane, snapdragon bite on the slider. When his slot drops, his fastball runs too much and his slider gets sweepy.
  
  The Future: Petty’s upside is significant, but his specific player demographic is inherently risky and he’ll need plenty of time to develop.
  
• July, 2021 Scouting Report
  Petty is one of the hardest throwing high school pitchers ever. He touched 102 mph in a workout and 101 mph in a game this spring. His fastball and slider give the potential for two well above-average pitches, but he has plenty of work to do on refining his control and adjusting to pro ball.