Today in the first round of the Rule 5 Draft, the Rockies selected right-handed pitcher Jordan Sheffield.
The 25-year-old Dodger prospect was with the AA Tulsa Drillers. A native of Tullahoma, Tennessee, Sheffield attended Vanderbilt University. He was drafted by the Dodgers as a supplemental first-round pick, 36th overall, in 2016.
According to Baseball America:
Coming out of high school, Sheffield was a high-end prospect. His fastball had reached 97 in the fall of his senior year, but fell off in the spring and he eventually needed Tommy John surgery and chose to honor his Vanderbilt commitment. After missing his freshman season, Sheffield showed off his explosive arm speed as a reliever as a sophomore, and he showed flashes of brilliance, though he battled command issues. . . . His plus-plus arm speed allows him to sit in the mid-90s deep into games, and he shows the ability to reach 98 whenever he needs to. Sheffield throws a downer curveball that projects as an average or slightly better pitch, and he has gained confidence in his changeup, giving him three quality pitches.
In 2019, he was moved to the bullpen and earned a 3.58 ERA in Tulsa over 37.2 innings in 34 games for a WHIP of 1.54. He struck out 48 while walking 32 batters.
His fastball is low to mid 90’s, and he has a solid breaking ball. Clearly, there are command issues that will need to be addressed.
Here’s some video from 2018:
Incidentally, Sheffield is the brother of Mariners pitcher Justus Sheffield.