Dae-Eun Rhee, RHP, Chicago Cubs
If you look solely at Rhee’s professional statistics you’d probably think me mad for including him on this report. But after watching him pitch on a number of occasions, he continues to fascinate me as a prospect that should be much more successful than he’s been – and I can’t help but think that there’s a pitching coach out there that could help unlock his potential. Rhee, 23, is tall and lanky. He shows good balance over the rubber and has a high 3/4 arm slot with smooth mechanics. He also works quickly – perhaps too quickly at times.
The downfall for the pitcher, though, is his lack of command. When I watched him pitch he was struggling to command both his fastball and his curveball, which was slow and loopy. He had good movement on his fastball, which can touch 93 mph, and it was cutting down and in on right-handed hitters. His best pitch was a tumbling splitter that helps him induce an above-average number of ground balls. He lacks swing-and-miss stuff and gets into a lot of trouble when he elevates the ball due to inconsistent mechanics.
While watching him, I was confused by the pitch sequences being used. He utilized the below-average curveball a lot and I hope it was by design in an effort to help him improve the pitch. In a perfect world, Rhee would have established – and pitched off of – his fastball. I would also like to see him use his splitter more, but it’s difficult when he’s not getting into a favorable count to use it. I’m definitely conflicted on Rhee. I can’t help but think that there is a ton of potential locked inside him but the results have been disappointing, pretty much for his entire career – including his trip to the Arizona Fall League after the 2012 season.
