Okay so this morning I’m scrolling through tweets with my coffee – black, no sugar, strong – and I see this kid Shane Panzini popping up again. Everyone’s buzzing “Future ace! Big league stuff!” Blah blah. Figured, okay, maybe it’s time to actually see what’s cooking.
Getting Started Was… Sloppy
First thing I do is fire up the good ol’ laptop. Hit my bookmarks folder labeled “Ballplayers” – it’s messy, stuff everywhere. Typed “Shane Panzini stats scouting” into the search bar and just dove in. Found some highlights videos first. Right away, the fastball has some serious zip. Looks lively, like the ball jumps out his hand. Arm action’s pretty easy. Okay, not bad.
- Watched 4-5 different high school start clips.
- Noticed the breaking stuff was kinda hit or miss – one inning nasty, next one hanging like laundry.
- Command? Yeah… let’s just say you hold your breath sometimes. Wild high or bouncing short.
My coffee’s cold now. Typical.
Digging Deeper Hurdles
Alright, highlights are fun, but I need the nitty gritty. Scouting reports next. Hopped onto a couple sites that still do written reports. Found a few. One said his changeup was “developing.” Translation? He barely throws it. Or doesn’t trust it. Other report talked about his delivery having “some effort” – scout-speak for maybe it’s a bit forced? Makes you think about injuries down the road, you know?
- Searched forums for fan chatter. Lots of hype! “Best thing since sliced bread!” type stuff.
- Looked for college stats, but info was thin since he went pro early.
- Tried finding minor league game logs… man, that data’s scattered or behind paywalls. Annoying.
The Eye Test Isn’t Always Pretty
Eventually found a grainy stream link to one of his rookie league starts from last year. Settled in. Gotta see the whole picture.
First inning was lights out. Fastball painting corners, curve buckling knees. Okay, ace potential flashed hard right there. But then… reality kicked in. He starts losing the zone. Walk. Hard hit ball. Then his mechanics look rushed. Fastball flattens out. Next thing you know, inning blows up. Looked like two different pitchers in one outing.
- Consistency? Nope. Not yet.
- Secondary pitches under pressure? Dicey at best.
- Mental toughness when things go sideways? Needs work, looked frustrated.
Putting It All Together
So here’s the deal after digging around. The raw stuff is undeniably good. That fastball? Legit weapon right now. The potential is huge. He looks the part physically too.
But… it’s baseball, man. Potential doesn’t pitch innings. He needs:
- Major polishing on that changeup. Gotta develop it or big league hitters sit dead red fastball.
- Way better command. Can’t walk guys like candy.
- To figure out how to handle when things get messy. Every young pitcher has bad innings. How do you stop the bleeding?
- His mechanics? Scouts worry. That “effort” needs smoothing out long-term.
How good can he be? Honestly? Ceiling is super high – we’re talking front-line starter stuff. But the floor? Also kinda low. Could easily stall in Double-A if these things don’t improve. It’s gonna depend entirely on how much he develops the touch pitches (changeup, command), cleans up his mechanics just enough, and develops that pitcher’s brain to handle adversity.
Is he the next big thing? Maybe. But it’s far from guaranteed. Let’s just say I’m watching his box scores way closer now. That’s my practice log for today. Took way longer than I thought! Need another coffee.
