Meet Wyatt Crowell

Wyatt Crowell was born in Cumming GA, on October 13, 2001, in Cumming, GA.  The LHP attended West Forsythe High School in Cumming.  Crowell was a good High School Pitcher and made the All-State team in 2019.  He was Forsythe News All County Player of the Year in 2019.  He was the 6^th ranked LHP and 40^th overall prospect in Georgia. Nationally he was 50^th ranked LHP and 454 the overall his senior year.  However with the accolades, he was not drafted from high school.

Undeterred, Crowell honored his commitment to Florida State University.  As a freshman, Crowell continued as a 2-way player.  He was a reliever who also had 17 starts as an OF and 11 as a DH. At 6’0” 160 pounds, he was not going to be remind anyone of Shohei. Crowell made 13 relief appearances, finishing 1-3 with a 3.86 ERA in 16.1 innings, with 16 strikeouts.    At the plate, Crowell hit .221 over 104 AB, with four doubles and a triple, 10 walks, 11 runs and three RBI.

Crowell decided to concentrate solely on pitching his sophomore year and began to get noticed.  He became FSU’s top reliever.  He appeared in 28 games earning a 6-1 record and 2.12 ERA, with 2 saves.  He struck out 72 batters in 51.0 IP.  Opponents hit .201 against Crowell.  He was primarily a multi inning reliever.  He set a career high 5.1 IP, and earned the win, in a 17 inning victory over North Carolina State.  He struck out a career high seven Miami Hurricane hitters in a 4.0 inning save.  Wyatt pitched at least 4.0 innings in six relief appearances.

Between March 29 and May 18, Crowell was 4.0 with a 0.64 ERA, allowing just 21 baserunners in 28.1 IP, with 39 Ks and an opponents BAA of .149.  He pitched on the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team and won a bronze medal in a tournament in the Netherlands.

For his effort, Crowell was named All Region: 2022 (ABCA/Rawlings; 2^nd Team).

Going into his junior year, Crowell was named pre-season 2^nd team All American.  He got his first and only start against Pitt on March 11.  He made four additional relief appearances before he injured his left elbow.  It was determined that he tore his UCL and had TJ surgery on April 13, 2013.

Throughout his Florida State University career, Wyatt Crowell pitched in 46 games (1 start).  In 88.0 IP, Crowell allowed 33 runs (21 earned), 64 hits, 4 HR, 34 BB, 121 K, 15 HBP, 2.15 ERA, 1.114 WHIP.

Probably based on his final 7 weeks in his sophomore year and his five games in 2023, LAD selected Crowell in the 4^th round (127^th overall) in the 2023 draft, and signed for a below slot bonus of $516,800.  He was assigned to the ACL Dodgers, but obviously did not pitch during his TJ surgery recovery.

Crowell was assigned to Rancho Cucamonga Quakes on March  24, 2024. On May 24, 2024, Crowell was sent to ACL Dodgers on a rehab assignment (13 months after surgery).  He had 4 starts for ACL and was then returned to RC.

On June 21, Crowell had his 1^st RC start, and completed 3.0 scoreless innings, allowing 1 hit, 1 HBP, and 4 K.  He would start 6 additional RC games.  He completed 17.1 IP, allowing 3 runs (all earned), 6 hits, 1.56 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, 5 HBP, 11 BB, 26 K.  Crowell had proven himself at low A, even in short inning increments, to be promoted to Great Lakes, August 4.

Crowell started out well but not dominant at GL  On August 29, Crowell pitched 4.0 scoreless innings against the South Bend Cubs.  It was the longest outing of the year.  Unfortunately, he followed that with his worst outing of the season, allowing 3 runs on 5 hits, 2 HBP, and 1BB, in 3.2 IP.

Crowell was necessarily going to have his innings limited.  He has pitched relatively well in his 17 starts, even though never going deep into a game.  Great Lakes’ season will end Sunday, and they will not be in the playoffs, so I would anticipate that Crowell’s season is also over.

Prior to the draft, Wyatt Crowell was ranked on 6 of the top 7 baseball publications, with a high of #95 with The Athletic.

• The Athletic: 95
• Baseball America: 135
• ESPN: 143
• FanGraphs: NR
• MLB Pipeline: 112
• Perfect Game: 258
• Prospects Live: 228

The most current scouting reports are those published prior to the draft.  We will get more updated reports early next year.  But for now, here is what was reported last July 2023.

From Baseball America:

Crowell has been a full-time reliever for Florida State since joining the program in 2021, but he’s also been one of the team’s most effective and consistent pitchers in that time. After a solid freshman campaign, Crowell was one of the best relievers in the ACC in 2022, and was off to more of the same in 2023 with a 0.87 ERA through 20.2 innings and a 38.8% strikeout rate. Crowell managed those results despite losing three full ticks of fastball velocity, and eventually missed the season with Tommy John surgery. A small and lean lefthander with a 6-foot, 169-pound frame, Crowell pitches with a simple delivery and whippy fast arm that fires to the plate from a three-quarter slot. He works off a two-pitch mix and typically pitched in the 93-94 mph range and got into the upper 90s, though in 2023 before his surgery he averaged 90 mph and touched 93. It’s more of a sinker than a riding fastball up in the zone, and Crowell uses his mid-80s slider as his go-to swing-and-miss offering. It’s a high-spin pitch in the 2,600 rpm range that he uses almost half the time, with whiff rates around 50% in the last two seasons. Crowell has thrown a slower curveball around 80 mph with more depth, which still blends into his slider shape and might simply be him manipulating the slider in the first place, as well as a mid-80s changeup—though the two are rarely used.

Here’s what MLB Pipeline had to say about him:

Crowell went from the Georgia high school ranks to the Florida State bullpen, appearing in 13 games as a freshman in 2021 then emerging as the best reliver on the Seminoles staff in 2022. After finishing with a 2.12 ERA and 12.7 K/9 rate as a sophomore, he pitched well out of Team USA’s ‘pen for the Collegiate National Team. Scouts were excited about a possible move to the rotation this spring, but he made just one start and four relief appearances before being shut down with an elbow injury that required Tommy John surgery. While Crowell isn’t the biggest guy in the world at 6-foot, he’s an excellent athlete on the mound with a very quick arm. In shorter stints as a reliever, the left-hander has been 94-98 mph with his fastball that features good riding life down in the zone and gets a lot of ground balls. Working as a starter in the fall, he was more 90-95 mph. His wipeout low-80s slider can be plus at times and missed a lot of bats. Crowell does have a changeup, though he didn’t use it much as a reliever, and one key point of emphasis for him will be to develop that third pitch while finding more consistency with the slider. He’s always been more control than command, and while he didn’t get to show an ability to be more of a complete pitcher this spring, teams could consider taking him in the top three rounds based on his track record of missing bats as a left-handed reliever.

Wyatt Crowell had an excellent pro debut.  He looks to be following in the footsteps of two other college relievers who turned to starting after signing with LAD…Josh Sborz and Tony Gonsolin.  Sborz returned to relief, and while Gonsolin has been an excellent starter, his next step is up in the air.

Crowell is basically a fastball/slider pitcher.  He hides the ball well which gives him a good amount of swing and miss.  With a number of BB and HBP, Crowell needs better control. Two pitch pitchers generally end up om the pen.

Crowell will continue to work as a starter, but we will need to wait until next year to see if he can develop a third pitch and improve his control.  His floor is as a high leverage reliever.  I have guessed that both Gonsolin and Sborz would have been relievers after starting in MiLB.  Right on one and wrong on the other.  I will stay out of the guessing game for Crowell.  But IMO with his ability to hide his pitches and with a wipe out slider, I do project he reaches MLB.

FSU Scouting Report

Wyatt Crowell (@FSUBaseball) is one of the premier LHP in all of college baseball. Attacks from 3/4 slot, athletic mover, 70-grade wipeout SL with a 49% miss rate. Lively FB up to 96 with serious run/sink down in the zone. CH is developing and looked good this fall.

Day 1 Pick. pic.twitter.com/USOEJB0wt5

— Peter Flaherty III (@PeterGFlaherty) January 7, 2023

Wyatt Crowell Slider

Wyatt Crowell sliders 🤒@FSUBaseball | @PitchingNinja pic.twitter.com/FLldp4uWv8

— 11Point7 College Baseball (@11point7) February 25, 2023

RC Debut

Wyatt Crowell made it to Rancho!
Drafted last summer in the 4th Round out of Florida State but has been dealing with injury, so just got back at the end of May. 4 outings in ACL, made his debut with Rancho last night. Tail on FB, good depth & Bite to Slider, tumbling change.… pic.twitter.com/jjSi9urfzZ

— Dodgers Daily (@dodger_daily) June 22, 2024

Great  Lakes Loons Debut

Wyatt Crowell had a great start in his High A Debut with Great Lakes. He's still working the pitch count back to full leash (probably next year fully) but making the most of the 50 or so pitches he gets at the moment when he takes the mound.
3IP 2H 1R 3Ks 1BB

3rd straight… pic.twitter.com/lacKaRXvWf

— Dodgers Daily (@dodger_daily) August 4, 2024

More with the Loons:

Wyatt Crowell is dealing

3.00 ERA, 50 SO, 36 IP, 1.06 WHIP@wyattcrowell20 @FSUBaseball @AL0nz023 @BHolmes130 pic.twitter.com/kj7BvVUMNa

— Full Count Baseball (@FullCountGA) August 27, 2024

And yet another athlete

Heck of a defensive play by #Dodgers LHP prospect Wyatt Crowell, showing off his athleticism pic.twitter.com/S97d9dqQyC

— Bruce Kuntz (@Bnicklaus7) August 4, 2024