Aaron Ashby

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Milwaukee Brewers #1 prospect in 2022
  Track Record: A nephew of former all-star righthander Andy Ashby, Aaron showed up at Crowder (Mo.) JC throwing in the mid 80s with a solid breaking ball, but he walked 56 batters in 66 innings split between starting and relieving as a freshman in 2017. Ashby’s stuff ticked up the next year. He went from 88-91 mph early in the season to 90-94 mph later on. He struck out 156 batters in 74.2 innings and signed with the Brewers for $520,000 as their fourth-round pick. Ashby won the organization’s minor league pitcher of the year award in his full-season debut in 2019 and was the Brewers’ best pitcher at instructional league in 2020, where his stuff played up in short bursts to 94-97 mph. Ashby’s stuff continued its upward trajectory in 2021. He piled up strikeouts but still had command issues while splitting time between the rotation and the bullpen in Triple-A Nashville. Triple-A East managers chose Ashby as having the best breaking pitch in the league, which he used to strike out 14.2 batters per nine innings, tops in Triple-A among pitchers with at least 60 innings. However, in his major league debut on June 30, Ashby didn’t get out of the first inning, allowing seven runs (four earned) with three walks and no strikeouts. He had a 3.48 ERA the rest of the season, then pitched in a pair of playoff games against the Braves in the National League Division Series.
  
  Scouting Report: Ashby has developed into a power pitcher from the left side whose fastball sits in the mid 90s as a starter and touches 99 mph. It has solid sink and run to it, but his below-average fastball command has led to harder contact against it and worse outcomes than his raw stuff would suggest. Ashby has a true putaway pitch in his slider, a plus pitch that flashes plus-plus at times. It’s a sharp, biting slider with two-plane break, good depth and late tilt, making it effective against both lefties and righties. Ashby does a good job executing the pitch to make it look like a strike before it darts out of the zone and underneath barrels. Ashby’s changeup has made significant strides to the point it’s at least an average pitch and flashes plus against righties. It’s a firm changeup at 87-91 mph, and at its best it has late diving action down in the zone. Ashby also throws a 77-81 mph curveball, though he rarely uses it and primarily goes to his slider when throwing a breaking ball. Ashby has the pure stuff to miss plenty of bats, but he also adds deception by varying the leg lifts and tempo in his delivery to try to disrupt the hitter’s timing.
  
  The Future: Ashby has the stuff to develop into a No. 2 or 3 starter, but improving his fastball command will be critical to do so. The Brewers’ plan is to develop Ashby as a starter long term, though depending on their 2022 rotation, they could deploy him as a reliever before transitioning him to a starting role as they did with their top three starters, Corbin Burnes, Brandon Woodruff and Freddy Peralta.
  
• 
  Ranked Milwaukee Brewers #8 prospect in 2021
  Fastball: 55. Slider: 45. Changeup: 45. Curveball: 55. Control: 45.
  
  TRACK RECORD: Ashby, the nephew of former all-star righthander Andy Ashby, arrived at Crowder (Mo.) JC throwing in the mid 80s but was touching 94 mph by the end of his sophomore season. The Brewers drafted him in the fourth round in 2018 and signed him for $520,000. Ashby made an immediate impression and won the organization’s minor league pitcher of the year award while climbing to high Class A in 2019. He was a late arrival to the alternate training site in 2020 and struggled, but he was the team’s best pitcher during instructional league in the fall.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Ashby stood out for both his performance and his enhanced stuff during instructional league, though with the caveat he was largely facing younger, less experienced competition. Ashby’s fastball jumped from 90-95 mph to 93-97 in 2020 and overwhelmed hitters from the left side. His solid-average curveball is his most effective secondary pitch, while his fringe-average changeup has flashed a tick better. He also mixes in an occasional slider. Ashby’s control can come and go, but he did a better job throwing strikes at instructs.
  
  THE FUTURE: Ashby has a chance to develop into a back-of-the-rotation starter. A high-leverage relief role is possible, too.
• 
  Ranked Milwaukee Brewers #5 prospect in 2020
  TRACK RECORD: Ashby boosted his stock more than any player in the Brewers' system in 2019 and was named the organization's pitcher of the year. The reason was he gained better command of his pitches. He struck out 135 batters in 126 innings across both Class A levels, using a three-pitch mix that allowed him to control the action. It's what the Brewers had in mind when they drafted Ashby in the fourth round in 2018 after he averaged 18.8 strikeouts per nine innings at Crowder (Mo.) JC.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Ashby doesn't throw overly hard, with a fastball that sits in the 92-95 mph range. What separates him is a devastating curveball. It's a true plus-pitch he sometimes throws tight and hard to give the appearance of a slider, and lefthanded hitters in particular are helpless against it. Same-side batters managed just .183 with six extra-base hits—all doubles. Ashby has made great strides with his changeup to give him a reliable third pitch. He has a deceptive, funky delivery that makes his pitches hard to pick up but also leads to occasional lapses of command and gives him fringe-average control overall.
  
  THE FUTURE: Ashby has the stuff of a potential mid-rotation starter and just needs to keep making strides with his control. He is slated to start 2020 at Double-A Biloxi.
• 
  Ranked Milwaukee Brewers #16 prospect in 2019
  Track Record: Ashby is the nephew of 14-year big league pitcher and fellow Crowder (Mo.) JC alum Andy Ashby. He led all Division I junior college pitchers with 156 strikeouts in 2018, an average of 18.8 strikeouts per nine innings. The Brewers drafted him in the fourth round and signed him for an above-slot $520,000 to forgo a Tennessee commitment. Ashby moved quickly after signing, making seven starts at low Class A Wisconsin and posting a 2.17 ERA.
  
  Scouting Report: Ashby's fastball velocity has crept from the upper 80s in college to 91-93 mph as a professional, with room for more growth. Ashby's best pitch is a plus, sharp-breaking curveball he can spin harder to morph into a slider, giving him two breaking balls to confuse hitters. Few young hitters are adept at hitting breaking balls of his quality, leading to a total of 66 strikeouts in 57.2 innings in his pro debut. Ashby has a funky delivery that gives him great deception but also hampers his strike-throwing at times. He doesn't throw his changeup much, and it remains to be seen how his stuff will play against advanced hitters as he moves up the ladder.
  
  The Future: Ashby gets a lot of strikeouts by getting hitters to chase his breaking stuff, and at the very least projects to a situational lefty in the majors. The Brewers think with maturity and more work on his changeup, he can remain in a starting role.

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #106 prospect in 2018 draft
  Ashby, the nephew of ex-big league pitcher and fellow Crowder (Mo.) alumnus Andy Ashby, has posted some of the most absurd statistics in baseball this year. Ashby arrived at Crowder as an 83-86 mph lefty with a decent breaking ball without the strength to always repeat his delivery. He walked eight and allowed six runs in 0.2 innings in his collegiate debut, but by the end of the season he threw a complete game to beat Seminole State (Okla.) JC to get Crowder to the NJCAA World Series. This year, Ashby's stuff has gotten better and better. The Tennessee signee was 88-91 with a plus curveball early in the season, but as the weather warmed up, he consistently sat 90-94 mph with his above-average fastball. It's his plus curveball that hitters can't touch. He can throw it back-to-back-to-back, baffling hitters even when they are looking for it. At one point, Ashby allowed one hit in a 19-inning stretch, as he recorded strikeouts for 45 of those 57 outs. Ashby's control does waver--he's walking 5.2 per nine innings--but he also generates loads of swings and misses. He leads all Division I junior college pitchers with 156 strikeouts (and 19 strikeouts per nine innings) to go with an 11-2, 2.29 record. Ashby has gotten stronger, but he still has a skinny frame that could fill out further. He works a lot of deep counts because of his control, which explains why he has worked into the eighth inning only once all season as of mid-May. His best pitching is likely still ahead of him, but his present breaking ball and plenty of fastball should be enough to get him drafted in the third or fourth round.

Top 100 Rankings

• Ranked Baseball America's #37 prospect in 2022

• December, 2021 Scouting Report
  Track Record: A nephew of former all-star righthander Andy Ashby, Aaron showed up at Crowder (Mo.) JC throwing in the mid 80s with a solid breaking ball, but he walked 56 batters in 66 innings split between starting and relieving as a freshman in 2017. Ashby’s stuff ticked up the next year. He went from 88-91 mph early in the season to 90-94 mph later on. He struck out 156 batters in 74.2 innings and signed with the Brewers for $520,000 as their fourth-round pick. Ashby won the organization’s minor league pitcher of the year award in his full-season debut in 2019 and was the Brewers’ best pitcher at instructional league in 2020, where his stuff played up in short bursts to 94-97 mph. Ashby’s stuff continued its upward trajectory in 2021. He piled up strikeouts but still had command issues while splitting time between the rotation and the bullpen in Triple-A Nashville. Triple-A East managers chose Ashby as having the best breaking pitch in the league, which he used to strike out 14.2 batters per nine innings, tops in Triple-A among pitchers with at least 60 innings. However, in his major league debut on June 30, Ashby didn’t get out of the first inning, allowing seven runs (four earned) with three walks and no strikeouts. He had a 3.48 ERA the rest of the season, then pitched in a pair of playoff games against the Braves in the National League Division Series.
  
  Scouting Report: Ashby has developed into a power pitcher from the left side whose fastball sits in the mid 90s as a starter and touches 99 mph. It has solid sink and run to it, but his below-average fastball command has led to harder contact against it and worse outcomes than his raw stuff would suggest. Ashby has a true putaway pitch in his slider, a plus pitch that flashes plus-plus at times. It’s a sharp, biting slider with two-plane break, good depth and late tilt, making it effective against both lefties and righties. Ashby does a good job executing the pitch to make it look like a strike before it darts out of the zone and underneath barrels. Ashby’s changeup has made significant strides to the point it’s at least an average pitch and flashes plus against righties. It’s a firm changeup at 87-91 mph, and at its best it has late diving action down in the zone. Ashby also throws a 77-81 mph curveball, though he rarely uses it and primarily goes to his slider when throwing a breaking ball. Ashby has the pure stuff to miss plenty of bats, but he also adds deception by varying the leg lifts and tempo in his delivery to try to disrupt the hitter’s timing.
  
  The Future: Ashby has the stuff to develop into a No. 2 or 3 starter, but improving his fastball command will be critical to do so. The Brewers’ plan is to develop Ashby as a starter long term, though depending on their 2022 rotation, they could deploy him as a reliever before transitioning him to a starting role as they did with their top three starters, Corbin Burnes, Brandon Woodruff and Freddy Peralta.
  
• July, 2021 Scouting Report
  Fastball: 55. Slider: 45. Changeup: 45. Curveball: 55. Control: 45.
  
  TRACK RECORD: Ashby, the nephew of former all-star righthander Andy Ashby, arrived at Crowder (Mo.) JC throwing in the mid 80s but was touching 94 mph by the end of his sophomore season. The Brewers drafted him in the fourth round in 2018 and signed him for $520,000. Ashby made an immediate impression and won the organization's minor league pitcher of the year award while climbing to high Class A in 2019. He was a late arrival to the alternate training site in 2020 and struggled, but he was the team's best pitcher during instructional league in the fall.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Ashby stood out for both his performance and his enhanced stuff during instructional league, though with the caveat he was largely facing younger, less experienced competition. Ashby's fastball jumped from 90-95 mph to 93-97 in 2020 and overwhelmed hitters from the left side. His solid-average curveball is his most effective secondary pitch, while his fringe-average changeup has flashed a tick better. He also mixes in an occasional slider. Ashby's control can come and go, but he did a better job throwing strikes at instructs.
  
  THE FUTURE: Ashby has a chance to develop into a back-of-the-rotation starter. A high-leverage relief role is possible, too.
• March, 2021 Scouting Report
  Fastball: 55. Slider: 45. Changeup: 45. Curveball: 55. Control: 45.
  
  TRACK RECORD: Ashby, the nephew of former all-star righthander Andy Ashby, arrived at Crowder (Mo.) JC throwing in the mid 80s but was touching 94 mph by the end of his sophomore season. The Brewers drafted him in the fourth round in 2018 and signed him for $520,000. Ashby made an immediate impression and won the organization’s minor league pitcher of the year award while climbing to high Class A in 2019. He was a late arrival to the alternate training site in 2020 and struggled, but he was the team’s best pitcher during instructional league in the fall.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Ashby stood out for both his performance and his enhanced stuff during instructional league, though with the caveat he was largely facing younger, less experienced competition. Ashby’s fastball jumped from 90-95 mph to 93-97 in 2020 and overwhelmed hitters from the left side. His solid-average curveball is his most effective secondary pitch, while his fringe-average changeup has flashed a tick better. He also mixes in an occasional slider. Ashby’s control can come and go, but he did a better job throwing strikes at instructs.
  
  THE FUTURE: Ashby has a chance to develop into a back-of-the-rotation starter. A high-leverage relief role is possible, too.
• December, 2020 Scouting Report
  Fastball: 55. Slider: 45. Changeup: 45. Curveball: 55. Control: 45.
  
  TRACK RECORD: Ashby, the nephew of former all-star righthander Andy Ashby, arrived at Crowder (Mo.) JC throwing in the mid 80s but was touching 94 mph by the end of his sophomore season. The Brewers drafted him in the fourth round in 2018 and signed him for $520,000. Ashby made an immediate impression and won the organization’s minor league pitcher of the year award while climbing to high Class A in 2019. He was a late arrival to the alternate training site in 2020 and struggled, but he was the team’s best pitcher during instructional league in the fall.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Ashby stood out for both his performance and his enhanced stuff during instructional league, though with the caveat he was largely facing younger, less experienced competition. Ashby’s fastball jumped from 90-95 mph to 93-97 in 2020 and overwhelmed hitters from the left side. His solid-average curveball is his most effective secondary pitch, while his fringe-average changeup has flashed a tick better. He also mixes in an occasional slider. Ashby’s control can come and go, but he did a better job throwing strikes at instructs.
  
  THE FUTURE: Ashby has a chance to develop into a back-of-the-rotation starter. A high-leverage relief role is possible, too.
• July, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: Ashby boosted his stock more than any player in the Brewers’ system in 2019 and was named the organization’s pitcher of the year. The reason was he gained better command of his pitches. He struck out 135 batters in 126 innings across both Class A levels, using a three-pitch mix that allowed him to control the action. It’s what the Brewers had in mind when they drafted Ashby in the fourth round in 2018 after he averaged 18.8 strikeouts per nine innings at Crowder (Mo.) JC.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Ashby doesn’t throw overly hard, with a fastball that sits in the 92-95 mph range. What separates him is a devastating curveball. It’s a true plus-pitch he sometimes throws tight and hard to give the appearance of a slider, and lefthanded hitters in particular are helpless against it. Same-side batters managed just .183 with six extra-base hits—all doubles. Ashby has made great strides with his changeup to give him a reliable third pitch. He has a deceptive, funky delivery that makes his pitches hard to pick up but also leads to occasional lapses of command and gives him fringe-average control overall.
  
  THE FUTURE: Ashby has the stuff of a potential mid-rotation starter and just needs to keep making strides with his control. He is slated to start 2020 at Double-A Biloxi.
• February, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: Ashby boosted his stock more than any player in the Brewers' system in 2019 and was named the organization's pitcher of the year. The reason was he gained better command of his pitches. He struck out 135 batters in 126 innings across both Class A levels, using a three-pitch mix that allowed him to control the action. It's what the Brewers had in mind when they drafted Ashby in the fourth round in 2018 after he averaged 18.8 strikeouts per nine innings at Crowder (Mo.) JC.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Ashby doesn't throw overly hard, with a fastball that sits in the 92-95 mph range. What separates him is a devastating curveball. It's a true plus-pitch he sometimes throws tight and hard to give the appearance of a slider, and lefthanded hitters in particular are helpless against it. Same-side batters managed just .183 with six extra-base hits—all doubles. Ashby has made great strides with his changeup to give him a reliable third pitch. He has a deceptive, funky delivery that makes his pitches hard to pick up but also leads to occasional lapses of command and gives him fringe-average control overall.
  
  THE FUTURE: Ashby has the stuff of a potential mid-rotation starter and just needs to keep making strides with his control. He is slated to start 2020 at Double-A Biloxi.