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By Jon Weisman
Using the competitive balance draft pick (74th overall) they acquired from Baltimore in the Ryan Webb deal, the Dodgers selected 6-foot-3 college right-handed pitcher Josh Sborz from Virginia.
Here’s the MLB.com snapshot:
Sborz, whose brother Jay spent eight seasons in pro ball, pitched in relief as a freshman at Virginia before moving into the rotation as a sophomore. He returned to the bullpen in 2015, serving as the Cavaliers’ closer and thriving in the role. Sborz’s arm strength is what defines him as a prospect. He’s shown a fastball that he can crank up to 98 mph on occasion, though it usually sits in the 93-95 mph range, with some sink. He has a slider that should be at least Major League average and while he doesn’t need a changeup much in short relief, he will show occasional feel for the pitch. Scouts aren’t in love with his funky arm action, but the stuff is hard to be denied. Sborz didn’t pitch badly as a sophomore starter, and it’s possible a team taking him early could decide to send him out in a rotation. But he more than likely profiles as a hard-throwing short reliever at the Major League level.
And Baseball America …
The younger brother of one-time major leaguer and second-round pick Jay Sborz, Josh has the potential to be the second in his family to reach the big leagues. The younger Sborz has bounced back and forth between the rotation and the bullpen for Virginia, and scouts have had ample time to evaluate him in both places. Sborz has a less than conventional delivery, with a stab in the back followed by a deep finish out front that makes his stuff difficult to square up. His fastball works mostly at 90-94 mph, but can reach 95 and the pitch features late life, which allows Sborz to generate poor contact. His best offspeed pitch is his slider, which plays as an above-average pitch because of how late it breaks, but the pitch lacks the shape and depth of the standard swing-and-miss slider. Sborz tends to struggle with fastball command, sometimes elevating the offering and running into trouble. Even so, many scouts believe Sborz has the stuff, as well as the body, to make it as a back-of-the-rotation starter.
The MLB draft resumes beginning with the third round Tuesday morning.
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