Isaac Coffey is rapidly emerging as a prospect to watch in the Red Sox system. Drafted in the 10th round last summer out of Oral Roberts University, the 23-year-old right-hander logged a 2.83 ERA with 86 strikeouts in 60.1 innings at High-A Greenville before being promoted to Double-A Portland a week ago. His profile is unique. Our lead prospect analyst Eric Longenhagen has described Coffey as having “a funky, drop-and-drive, low-slot delivery (but his arm action is super short, not typical of low-slot guys) that creates big lateral divergence between his fastball and slider.”
Coffey discussed his four-pitch arsenal and his atypical arm slot prior to a recent game at Portland’s Hadlock Field.
David Laurila: Let’s start with the self scouting report. What is your arsenal?
Isaac Coffey: “I’ve got a four-seam fastball. A lot of people think it’s a sinker or a two-seam, but with the release height and my slot — I spin it between 2:15 and 2:30 on a clock, with 100% spin efficiency — it tends to look like it’s rising, even though it has more run than ride. It plays up in the zone because it’s coming from that lower slot. It averages around 89 [mph], topping out at 91, but my command of it is pretty good. I can place it on both sides of the plate and use it whenever I need to.
“My changeup is a four-seam, basically a circle change. I spin it really good, and it’s got 100% spin efficiency, too. I spin it at like three o’clock to 3:15, and that creates a lot of run. It’s basically straight sideways but sometimes with a little negative drop. It’s always been my best off-speed pitch.
“I also have a slider and a cutter, both of which I developed this offseason. The cutter is just an offset four-seam that I try to throw hard. It gets a little bit of arm-side run, but compared to the fastball… it probably has perceived cut, but not actual cut on the Trackman numbers. I’m getting more comfortable with that and have been using it more and more each outing.
“My slider is also getting better as the season goes on. It’s got that nine o’clock sideways spin. The command is getting a lot better, so I believe I can use it in a lot of counts right now.”
Laurila: How many inches of separation do you get on your fastball and changeup?
Coffey: “The changeup will run out a couple more inches than the fastball. It’s not a lot, maybe three or four more inches.”
Laurila: What about vertical?
Coffey: “The 60-foot numbers on TrackMan… I’m not exactly sure that I know. We use 40-foot numbers, and on 40-foot numbers my average fastball ride is 5.4 or 5.5 [inches]. I think that translates to around low teens on 60-foot numbers. My changeup is like zero to negative one, negative two, vertical.”
Laurila: What is the story behind your arm slot?
Coffey: “I was always a three-quarters guy, never straight over the top, and in my freshman year I had 14 starts while also playing some third base. Then, in my junior year [Coffey’s sophomore year coincided with the pandemic], I was fielding ground balls at third base and kind of throwing it over to first sidearm. Doing that felt natural. Our pitching coach saw that and was like, ‘Hey, let’s get you on the mound and play with some different arm slots.’ We did that, dropping way down to going higher up, and settled on the where I’m at right now. It felt comfortable, and my velo and movement both ticked up from where they had been.”
Laurila: Are there any low-slot guys you would comp your delivery to?
Coffey: “I don’t know if there are. I think I’m kind of unique in that I’m kind of drop-and-drive and not staying tall and slinging from the side. I get down in my legs. But 2:15 is basically… like, my thumb is straight out, and 2:15 is where my fingers are at, or 2:30, maybe three o’clock. I’m basically sidearm.”
Laurila: I’ve read that your arm action is shorter than most guys who throw from a low slot.
Coffey: “I can see that. A lot of guys will sling it from out here, and what I’m doing is… maybe it’s more like traditional, but throwing from the side? I don’t know.”
Laurila: Given your unique sidearm slot, a lot of people are going to look at you and think future reliever. That said, you throw four pitches and have been having success as a starter.
Coffey: “Obviously, with whatever they want me to do, I’ll dive into that role as best as I can. Right now it’s being a starter. It’s what I’ve always done. I came out of the ‘pen once in high school and not at all in college. I threw two innings in the [Florida Complex League] after I got drafted, but that’s it as far as relieving. But again, whatever they want in the future, I’ll dive right into it.”
Laurila: Any final thoughts on your development as a pitcher?
Coffey: “I went to Driveline over the offseason. The Red Sox called and said, ‘Hey, we want to send you to Driveline; do you have an interest?’ I said, ‘Yeah, absolutely.’ So I went out there for a month in January. That’s basically where I learned my slider. I also did a velo program and some Plyo Ball and arm-care stuff. I worked a lot with Juan Rodriguez. I think he’s in Arizona now, but I went up to Seattle. It was a good experience.”
Full article can be found at: https://blogs.fangraphs.com/red-sox-prospect-isaac-coffey-is-opening-eyes-from-a-unique-slot/