The Chicago White Sox have completed signing all their 2022 Draft picks and are ready to get them in to work in the Minors. As we dig deeper into some of these picks, we begin to realize that the White Sox may have hit on some of them while missing on others.
It’s important to look closely at these players and see how they might be able to help the White Sox in the future. Are they potential Major League players or are they just Minor League level talent that’s never going to crack the starting lineup in a Major League game?
Let’s take a look at Tyler Schweitzer. The White Sox drafted him for a reason and we will soon find out just what that reason was by taking a look at his college career.
Schweitzer hails from Indianapolis, Indiana. He was born on September 19th, 2000, and is currently 21 years old. He is a left-handed pitching prospect who stands six feet tall and weighs 185 pounds. He was taken by the White Sox in the 5th round of the 2022 Major League Baseball Draft (101st overall).
The Chicago White Sox are hoping that Tyler Schweitzer becomes great.
In high school at Hamilton Southeastern (just north of Indianapolis), Schweitzer helped his teammates win a state championship in his senior year. During that season, he threw 61.2 innings and had 92 strikeouts with an ERA of 1.36. He also appeared as a relief pitcher.
Schweitzer played his collegiate baseball with Ball State and is listed as a junior in academics and a sophomore in athletics. 2020 was his first collegiate season and he pitched a total of 8.1 innings ending the season with an ERA of 3.24 in five games. He allowed nine hits, three runs, three earned runs, and no home runs. Schweitzer did strike out 13 batters while walking four.
In this the second season he was with Ball State, Schweitzer saw a lot more action and performed quite well. He participated in a total of 23 games and pitched 35.1 innings. His ERA was 5.35. He allowed 30 hits, 23 runs, and 21 earned runs. Schweitzer gave up five home runs, struck out 51 batters, and gave up 22 walks.
Between his sophomore and junior seasons, Schweitzer took part in games for the Lakeshore Chinooks out of Mequon, Wisconsin. The Chinooks are part of the Northwoods League. He played in 15 games with the Chinooks, starting two.
His total innings pitched was 36 and his ERA was 4.26. Schweitzer allowed batters to hit 35 times, with 17 runs and 17 earned runs. He allowed just one home run while striking out 45 batters and walking nine.
In his junior season, Schweitzer saw a significant amount of action playing in 17 games with 16 starts. He pitched a total of 91.2 innings, having an ERA of 2.65. He allowed 69 hits, 29 runs, and 27 earned runs while giving up five home runs. Schweitzer struck out 112 batters while walking 30.
Schweitzer’s performance at Ball State earned him a few honors. He was named to the All-MAC First Team, given the MAC Pitcher of the Year honor, named a Collegiate Baseball Second Team All-American as well as being on the ABCA Midwest All-Region First Team.
He found himself being named to the ABCA All-American Second Team and was honored three times as the MAC Pitcher of the week. This was for his junior season.
With all these honors, you would think that there is a lot of good about Schweitzer and there is. His potential is nearly endless and with the proper development and time, he will find himself pitching for a Major League team. Patience is the word for Schweitzer.
When it comes to the mechanics of pitching, Schweitzer relies on three pitches that he throws in the lower to mid-90s. Those pitches include a changeup, a four-seam fastball, and a curveball.
Something about his pitching that’s interesting to point out is that the velocity on his pitches will get higher as the game goes on which is nice. With a little bit more work he could possibly increase that velocity from the outset and get his pitches in on the plate even faster.
Some say that Schweitzer is a little bit small for a pitcher and may not have the strength needed to be effective in the Majors. One thing that he can overcome is the strength part. Hopefully, his size won’t be a huge detriment.
Look for Schweitzer to be someone that needs to develop a bit before coming to the Major Leagues. With the proper development, he could play a role on the White Sox in the future.