5 Under The Radar Pitching Prospects
Watch These Arms in 2025
Introduction
Pitching never fails to fascinate me. I have thoroughly enjoyed my dive into scouting and analysis that sparked my idea for this Substack. It has taught me a lot about how to evaluate a pitcher and the traits that set them apart from others.
In this article, I will highlight 5 MLB Pitching Prospects that I believe are unheralded and deserve more recognition. I parsed through all the data I could get my hands on and watched plenty of film to get a better understanding of each pitcher’s mechanics and how their pitches play off one another.
For more information regarding my Prospect Grades, please refer to my Top 50 Pitching Prospects Article. Big thanks to MLB for their library of videos in the MLB Film Room.
With that out of the way, let’s get to the prospects!
Chen Zhong-Ao Zhuang
Chen Zhong-Ao Zhuang is the most underrated pitching prospect in baseball. He is consistently left off prospect outlet lists or buried deep in the Athletics systems despite being one of their most intriguing arms in the pipeline. Zhuang was signed out of Taiwan in November 2021 and has done nothing but excel since coming over stateside.
His calling card is his pinpoint command and deep arsenal which flummoxes batters. He relies heavily on his 4-Seam fastball, tossing it ~50% of the time. It sits in a very wide velocity band, ranging between 89-95 MPH, but he has flashed the ability to dial it up to 97 MPH. He generates average ride from his nearly 6 ft slot and gets a lot of arm-side movement on the offering. It grades out as an average pitch and gets pushed to near-plus status thanks to his zone pounding tendencies.
Zhuang tosses a pair of off-speed pitches, a changeup and splitter, which effectively neutralize batters. His changeup is the more refined offering, boasting low 80s velocity with over 20” of arm-side run. His splitter is still a work in progress, but his ability to kill spin on the pitch gives it plenty of depth to play off his fastball. He rounds out his arsenal with a duo of breaking balls in his slider and curveball that returned poor results in 2024. His slider exhibits more cutter-like movement at 81-83 MPH and his curveball gets significant drop with moderate glove-side movement.
Zhuang’s results in MiLB have been excellent, and he supports it with some of the best command in MiLB. His age and lack of a true breaking ball gives me some pause, but he has displayed versatility and incredible strike throwing ability that keeps me optimistic. Health has been the biggest concern in his development and is the most likely reason for his lack of public spotlight. Despite the concerns in his profile, I believe Zhuang will solidify himself as one of Oakland’s best pitching prospects in 2025 and we will get a glimpse of him during Spring Training as he was recently announced as a non-roster invitee.
Miguel Ullola
Miguel Ullola had a strong season which saw him post an elite 31.1 K% and make the leap to AAA for his last start of the season, where we got a sneak peek into his pitch data.
Ullola’s fastball demonizes batters with its absurd amount of ride. The pitch sits 93-95 MPH and topped out at 98 MPH during 2024 while averaging +20” iVB from a 5.6 ft release with cutting action and above average extension. That amount of iVB from that low of a slot is rare and allows him to create a shallow plane which deceives batters when he parks it at the top of the zone. The offering is elite at generating whiffs and grades out as one of the best in the minors.
Just look at these fastballs. It has the aspects of a plus-plus offering.
His go-to secondary is a high 80s cutter/slider with a 6” of glove-side movement with varying depth. He has a good feel for the pitch and exhibits above average Zone%. The pitch does not miss nearly as many bats as his 4-Seam, but is effective at mitigating damage. His arsenal also features a low 80s two-plane curveball and an unrefined changeup which he utilizes against LHH.
Ullola’s upside is hampered by erratic control driven by his high-effort delivery, although he displayed better touch in 2024 and improved both his Strike% and BB% from the season prior. He may not be consistent enough in the command department to start long-term, but he has a devastating fastball and slider combo which will flourish in a relief role.
Logan Henderson
Logan Henderson was recently added to Milwaukee’s 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft. A series of injuries has limited Henderson’s development since being drafted in 2021, but he has been excellent while healthy. He is a small framed righty with a very fluid and repeatable delivery, which led to an elite 32.8 K% and miniscule 4.7 BB% in 2024. He is primarily a 2-pitch pitcher, with his main weapons being a low 90s fastball and low 80s changeup. He also weaves in a cutter early in the count to try to steal strikes.
Henderson’s fastball is very deceptive thanks to the incredibly shallow approach angle he gets on the offering. His low 3/4 slot pairs well with the immense ride he generates on the pitch. He enhances its effectiveness by filling the top of the zone, which led to a ridiculous 40.0 O-Swing% and 30.3 Whiff% his 6 AAA starts.
Here is a clip of his fastball in action.
His changeup is his highest spin offering, averaging 2350 RPM with a great deal of run. The ~18” of arm side movement with nearly 1’ of iVB separation from his fastball creates a illusory movement differential. He is not afraid to attack batters in all counts, and tosses it +40% against both LHH and RHH. It ran an excellent 35.6 O-Swing% and 32.9 Whiff% in AAA and was effective at limiting damage.
Here is his changeup putting away batters with a handful of strikeouts looking and swinging.
Henderson is as extreme fly ball pitcher, which is explained by his 25.4 GB% in MiLB during 2024. This approach makes him extremely susceptible to home runs as he surrendered 13 HR across 81.1 innings. His fastball-changeup duo should be an effective pair in MLB, but a more refined secondary in his cutter/slider would greatly increase Henderson’s odds as a starter. If all else fails, a medium leverage relief role is right around the corner for Henderson’s MLB debut during the 2025 season.
Trace Bright
Trace Bright did not perform as well in AA during 2024 compared to 2023. He posted a 4.18 ERA and 4.54 FIP across 112.0 IP and was burned by a poor 12.3 BB% and a falloff in strikeouts, but there was a lot to like about the strides he made with his arsenal throughout the season.
His 2024 started with a very encouraging performance in the Spring Breakout where he tossed 3.0 IP with 4 K and stunning pitch metrics. His 4-Seam is his strongest offering, sitting at 93-95 MPH with a ton of ride from a high 3/4 slot and above average extension. The pitch plays exceptionally well at the top of the zone, but its steeper approach leaves it vulnerable to damage. He struggles to consistently locate the offering, causing it to be the crux of his control issues.
Here is an example of his fastball generating a whiff up high.
His secondary of choice is a high 70s two-plane curveball that gets a ton of depth and glove-side movement and averages a spin rate of over 3000 RPM. The pitch ran a Whiff% north of 50% in AA this season and garnered an above average chase rate. The dichotomy of his fastball and curveball movement gives him a deadly combo when executed well.
Just look at the depth of this curveball!
Despite his innate ability to generate spin, Bright has struggled to add an effective second breaking ball into his arsenal. His current option is a high 80s cutter/slider that he pounds the zone with but fails to miss bats. The pitch grades out about above average on a stuff basis, with the lack of whiffs hampering its overall productiveness. His final offering is a mid 80s changeup with nearly a foot of iVB difference from his fastball. The pitch has a solid shape and is terrific at generating swings and misses, but issues stem from a lack of consistency. Putrid command and feel for the offering sometimes make it near unusable.
Bright has struggled with tossing strikes since he was drafted. He has cleaned up his mechanics to make his delivery more repeatable, but without substantial growth in the command department Bright may be limited to a bullpen role with Baltimore. Nonetheless, his fastball and curveball combo are intriguing, and he has natural traits such as his ability to impart spin that portend growth in his arsenal. His upside is a backend starter if his consistency improves, with his most likely outcome coming in the form of a whiff machine reliever.
Eliazar Dishmey
Eliazar Dishmey is an extremely athletic righty that made the jump to Low-A in 2024 where we had a glimpse of his pitch data thanks to the Florida State League’s implementation of Statcast. The first thing that stands out for Dishmey is his pair of fastballs which he fills the zone with and that exhibit plus traits and above average extension. His sinker is his primary pitch, relying on it heavily no matter the batter handedness, but its usage skyrockets to +70% against LHH. The pitch sits at 93-96 MPH with a ton of movement, which has led to above average chase and whiff rates. His other fastball is his 4-Seamer that sits in a similar velocity band, but trades some run for ride. With ~18” of iVB from his 5.2 ft release, Dishmey achieves a very shallow VAA on his 4-Seam when he locates it high in zone. All these factors help it grade out as one of the best in MiLB.
The following clip is an example of his 4-Seam Fastball. With strong execution, this pitch is a whiff printer.
Dishmey’s overreliance on his sinker poses long-term reliever risk. This concern is compounded when you consider that Dishmey does not have reliable secondaries nor a true off-speed pitch. Entering 2025 it will be key for the Marlins to help tap into Dishmey’s mechanics to flesh out his slider and curveball that he seldom tossed last season. His curveball was his most used secondary, exhibiting high 70s velocity with moderate 2-plane movement. Its shape isn’t very enticing, but it did return decent results despite a very poor 31.2 Zone%. His slider mimics his curveball as it sits 78-82 MPH with slightly less depth. The pitch was incredibly effective against LHH as he located low and away consistently. The final piece of the puzzle for Dishmey is developing his changeup. He displayed an erratic feel for the pitch in the handful of times he tossed it.
Dishmey showed a lot of promise in Lo-A this season, with his fastballs flashing MLB quality characteristics. Unlocking a secondary will be key to his success in the future, and he will have plenty of time to fill out his frame and work through his kinks as he progresses through the Marlins pipeline.
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