Grayson
Garvin
LHP
/ Vanderbilt
Bats-Throws: L-L
Height/Weight: 6-6/215
Hometown: Suwanee,
Ga.
Previously
Drafted: Astros ’08 (45)
Birthdate: Oct.
27, 1989
SCOUTING
PROFILE: Garvin is one of the elite lefthanders in the 2011
college draft class, but has done almost nothing in three years at
Vanderbilt but pay his dues. He worked almost exclusively in relief
on a deep staff in his first two seasons with the Commodores, winning
just one game overall. Even this year, with an impressive 13-1, 2.37
record, he has played second fiddle on another deep, talented Vandy
staff, working behind ace righthander Sonny Gray in the Commodores
rotation. Though Garvin has never played a front-and-center role on
his own college team, scouts have shown a keen interest in the
6-foot-6 lefthander, and he has been so impressive this spring that
he could conceivably join Gray in the first round of this year’s
draft. Garvin’s breakout season hasn’t come as a total surprise
as he came off a stellar summer in the Cape Cod League, where he led
the nation’s top summer-college league in wins (5) and ERA (0.74),
and was selected the league’s pitcher of the year. Garvin had
actually started putting it all together midway through his sophomore
season, when he began filling the strike zone more consistently with
three pitches, though his fastball was still mostly in the 87-90 mph
range. On the Cape, Garvin learned to mix his pitches better,
typically throwing a 78-80 mph slider to lefthanded hitters, and a
72-75 mph curveball to righthanded batters. His ability to create
deception in his delivery was also instrumental in his success. While
Garvin has an impressive physical frame and gets good downward tilt
on his all pitches, he does not possess electric stuff, which until
this spring had always made him a longshot to crack the first round.
But he has thrown harder than ever this spring, mostly in the 91-94
mph range, and occasionally reaching 95, and the harder he has thrown
the faster he has climbed up draft boards. He has also succeeded in
throwing his fastball consistently to both sides of the plate, while
mixing it effectively with his changeup, his best secondary pitch.
Through his 16 starts, Garvin had walked just 21 and struck out 89 in
102 innings. Garvin’s draft hopes ultimately may hinge on how
scouts evaluated the consistency and firmness of his two breaking
pitches. When he has command of at least two of his secondary
pitches, he is usually at the top of his game. But he is one of those
pitchers whose stuff may never be as impressive as his performance.
Projected
Draft Position: Late first round /
sandwich round.
Perfect
Game Events Attended
2005 WWBA 16U National Championship
2005 SE Underclass Showcase
2005 WWBA Underclass Championship
2005 PG/BA World Championship
2006 WWBA 17U/07 Grad. National Championship
2006 WWBA 16U/08 East Grad.National Championship
2007 WWBA National Invitational
2007 National Showcase
2007 BCS 18u Southeast Regional
2007 WWBA 2007 Grads or 18u National Championship
2007 WWBA 2008 Grads or 17u National Championship
2007 BCS 18u Finals
2007 Southeast Top Prospect Showcase
2007 WWBA World Championship
2008 WWBA 2008 Grads or 18u National Championship