Braden Olthoff

[floplag]

The guy was throwing total wiffle balls that day, hope to see more of it...

 

 

[HanfordGuy]

https://www.wdsu.com/article/tulane-rhp-braden-olthoff-selected-by-los-angeles-angels-in-ninth-round-of-mlb-draft/37004825#
 

Tulane RHP Braden Olthoff selected by Los Angeles Angels in ninth round of MLB draft
 

NEW ORLEANS —

Tulane University right-handed pitcher Braden Olthoff was selected by the Los Angeles Angels in the ninth round (261th overall pick) of the 2021 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft on Monday.

Olthoff becomes the 126th player selected in the MLB Draft in program history. Earlier on Monday, teammate Collin Burns was selected in the sixth round (167th pick) by the Baltimore Orioles.

The Oceanside, California native finished the 2021 campaign with a 6-3 record. Olthoff closed out the year with a 3.78 earned run average and 91 strikeouts. His 11 walks on the year were the fewest among Green Wave starters.

Following the year, Olthoff was named to the All-American Athletic Conference Second Team.

[tdawg87]

Interesting mechanics. Throws like a knuckleballer.

[HanfordGuy]

He started 2 games for Inland Empire. Did anyone get a chance to see his stuff?

[DCAngelsFan]

On 12/31/2021 at 3:33 PM, HanfordGuy said:

He started 2 games for Inland Empire. Did anyone get a chance to see his stuff?

The opposing teams had little trouble seeing his stuff, as evidenced by that 10.57 ERA

But "wiffle ball" is a pretty good take - could be an interesting guy to watch.

[Jason]

On 12/31/2021 at 12:31 PM, tdawg87 said:

Interesting mechanics. Throws like a knuckleballer.

Hopefully his FB is decent because the breaking stuff moves pretty well. 

[wopphil]

Terrible mechanics. All arm. 

[tdawg87]

[Jason]

1 hour ago, wopphil said:

Terrible mechanics. All arm. 

Probably why he went in 6th round 

[HanfordGuy]

2 hours ago, Jason said:

Probably why he went in 6th round 

Actually, he went in the 9th. According to this article he was projected for higher rounds (2nd or 3rd)

https://baseballprospectjournal.com/braden-olthoff-has-a-strong-feel-for-pitching/

Braden Olthoff has a strong feel for pitching - Dan Zielinski III

 

Braden Olthoff didn’t start pitching until his senior high school baseball season at El Camino High in California.

Now four years after first stepping on the mound, Olthoff is drawing MLB draft interest. He is a projected early-round pick in July’s draft. Scouts believe the Tulane right-handed pitcher likely will hear his name called in the second or third round of the draft.

This year marks the third time Olthoff has garnered draft interest. Olthoff received draft interest after his sophomore year at Palomar College in California and then had interest from numerous teams in the fourth round of last year’s shortened draft.

This year, the Tulane ace is eager to see how the draft unfolds. 

“I wanted to sign last year, but I thought I would bet on myself and come back this year while also getting my degree,” Olthoff said. “I’m really excited to start in pro ball and go through this draft process again. I’m pretty positive this year is going to work out. It’ll be nice to see the light at the end of the tunnel finally.”

Olthoff spent his first two years of college at Palomar College. As a sophomore in 2019, Olthoff posted a 2.51 ERA with 75 strikeouts and 23 walks allowed in 68 innings.

After turning down pro interest, Olthoff attended Tulane, where he was nearly unhittable in a pandemic-shortened 2020 season. He recorded a 0.32 ERA with 47 strikeouts and three walks allowed in 28 innings.

He once again decline pro interest and returned to Tulane for his senior season. Olthoff tallied a 3.78 ERA this season with 91 strikeouts and 11 walks allowed in 78 2/3 innings to enhance his draft status.

Olthoff is a 6-foot-4, 228-pound right-handed pitcher who throws a two-seam fastball, changeup, curveball and slider from an effortless delivery and three-quarters arm slot.

The righty has a strong feel for pitching and attacks the strike zone with all his pitches.

His fastball is a low-90s offering with sinking action. It consistently generates ground balls and weak contact. His changeup is his best offering and is an above-average pitch that he tunnels well off his fastball. The low-80s pitch looks like a fastball out of his hand before displaying noticeable break.

Olthoff’s slider and curveball are solid offerings that he throws for strikes and uses to generate swings and misses.

“My strikeout-to-walk ratio is my biggest strength right now because I limit so many free passes,” Olthoff said. “There are a lot of guys who pitch really well. But if you walk a lot of guys and then give up one hit, that can turn into a lot of runs. My competitiveness also is a strength of mine. When I am out there pitching, I am just competing at the highest level. I want to win so bad.”

One area Olthoff wants to improve is his fastball velocity. He has a short stride and could use his lower half more in his delivery.

Although Olthoff has been effective with his current delivery, scouts believe Olthoff could experience an uptick in velocity with a few mechanical adjustments.

“I think my stride could be one of my weak points,” Olthoff said. “Once I get into an organization, I think they will really be able to look at that and show me some stuff and develop me. I think that is something I look forward to is just continuing to develop and hopefully using my lower half to get to the mid-to-high-90s.”

 

[HanfordGuy]

 

[ScruffytheJanitor]

On 1/2/2022 at 11:18 PM, HanfordGuy said:

 

This isn't an "all-arm" release. Reminds me a lot of Dan Marino's throwing motion of all things - he's generating a ridiculous amount of torque with a right-left twist, essentially. 

[DCAngelsFan]

I dunno, he *is* pretty upright and doesn't really drive with his legs - I reckon the concern that made him drop is changing his delivery might mess with his strength, that ridiculous movement.

As intriguing a 9th round pick as you're gonna find, I'd say.