On November 6, 2024, the Rockies re-signed Right-Handed Pitcher Connor Van Scoyoc, a move that immediately solidifies the team’s starting pitching depth. He is on track to be a part of Triple-A Albuquerque’s rotation.
He was initially acquired in June of 2023 when the Rockies acquired Van Scoyoc from the Los Angeles Angels in exchange for first baseman Mike Moustakas. At the time of the trade, Van Scoyoc was a Los Angeles “diamond in the rough” pitching prospect. He became a project for the Rockies, but improvements have been evident.
While calling Van Scoyoc a future impact MLB player seems unlikely, he certainly has a chance to crack the big league roster given his recent improvements.
What does he bring to the table?
The soon-to-be 25-year-old stands 6-foot-6 and weighs 234 pounds. He has an ideal build for a pitcher, and it alone projects him for future success.
Van Scoyoc has a funky delivery. His windup is slow with a long arm action. It leads to awkward at-bats for opposing hitters leading to messed up timing and poor contact results. The negative effect of his windup is his command. Pitchers who have unorthodox mechanics often struggle with consistency, and the same goes for Van Scoyoc. His pitches often move differently game to game, and that is naturally hard to pinpoint, though Van Scoyoc has no issue throwing strikes.
For a starting pitcher, he does a solid job at maintaining work load. You can expect to see Van Scoyoc go 6 innings every night. That can be attributed to Van Scoyoc pounding the zone, and batters willing to swing early in counts. While this can lead to hard contact, and hits being given up, he works around it by giving up ground balls. Van Scoyoc led all qualified Double-A pitchers in ground balls in 2024.
There are few answers for pitching in Colorado, but there are solutions that can slow down the hurt. The biggest is ground balls. Since Van Scoyoc does such an elite job at generating ground balls for a starting pitcher, he profiles to prevent home runs and extra base hits in Colorado.
Exploring his pitches
The best way to predict if a pitcher has a future in MLB is by figuring out their pitches, and what they do. Here, we will leave out any intangibles outside of the pitches he throws.
Sinker:
With Van Scoyoc being so big, he has a higher than average release point. Which makes his sinker drop with solid shape. That results in pitches being hit on the ground consistently. Despite it not inducing many whiffs, it produces just as many outs because of the weak contact inducement.
Van Scoyoc’s sinker averages in the low-90s, but he can tick that velocity up to 95 MPH. If he can maintain that velocity in the mid-90s it’ll be an imminent major league pitch.
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Cutter:
Similar to his sinker, Van Scoyoc’s cutter has low spin. The two pitches have worked well together in the lower levels with his sinker moving armside and his cutter moving gloveside. Since facing more advanced hitters, Van Scoyoc’s cutter and sinker have been hit hard due to his low velocities. With more precise command it could be less of an issue.
Changeup:
Van Scoyoc’s changeup is another underwhelming pitch in terms of movement and whiffs. The purpose of the changeup in his repertoire is to serve as his only true offspeed pitch. However, much like his sinker, Van Scoyoc’s changeup helps induce weak contact on the ground. The shape on his changeup isn’t consistent, but it’s still a newer pitch for him with potential going forward.
Curveball:
The only pitch that racks up high-rate whiffs in Van Scoyoc’s repertoire is his curveball. It starts high in the zone, and has a late, steep break which generates whiffs and even more groundballs. It gets above average spin and analytically is a plus pitch. Although his curveball doesn’t play off his other pitches, it is his go-to swing and miss pitch given his high spin rates.
How can he get to MLB?
When Connor Van Scoyoc’s command is on, he is as steady as they come. From the beginning of the season to the end of June, he posted a 5.04 ERA with a 3.74 BB/9 (walks per nine) in 69.2 IP. However, from July to the end of the season, Van Scoyoc amassed a 1.43 ERA with a 2.63 BB/9 in 43.2 IP. It will be essential for him to keep his walk rate down to have a shot at making the big leagues.
Van Scoyoc will also need to find a way to use his curveball more efficiently to get more strikeouts, which is important for any MLB pitcher. Van Scoyoc had the lowest K% (14.9%) in all of Double-A in 2024 (min. 100 IP), and that number will likely decrease in Triple-A. Every pitcher in Triple-A with a K% lower than 14.9% and at least 60 innings pitched, had an ERA over 6.00 this past season.
So for Van Scoyoc to get the MLB call-up, he faces the tall task of walking fewer batters while striking out more. While that seems unlikely, Van Scoyoc already has all the tools to accomplish these feats. There is a reason the Rockies signed him just two days after he reached minor league free agency; the club knows he is close to contributing to the big league roster, at least in a depth role.
The Rockies currently have unproven starting pitcher depth, so a job can be taken by anyone if they maximize their opportunity. So with his high percentage groundball rates and a deep arsenal, Van Scoyoc can be that insurance guy in 2025. Whether it is a spot start or a more long-term plan, Connor Van Scoyoc is on the Rockies radar going forward.
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