Smurf's Canadian Prospect follows...
...next to take the mound will be Adam Macko
How’s it going today everyone? Today we look at our 2nd Canadian pitching prospect follow for 2023, Adam Macko. No point waiting around, let’s get straight into it…
Adam Macko
DOB: 12/20/2000, Bratislava, Slovakia
LHP, 6 ft, 170 lbs
Drafted by the Seattle Mariners in 2019, round 7, overall 216 selection from Vauxhall Academy (Vauxhall, Alberta)
Acquired by the Toronto Blue Jays as part of the Teoscar Hernandez trade with the Mariners in 2022
Currently listed as the 8th-ranked prospect in the organization by Prospects Live, 8th by MLB Pipeline & 11th by Baseball America.
Profile Positives
The fastball. Comes in at the lower 3/4 arm slot with some ride. Some evaluators consider it his best pitch. Sits 93-94 and has touched 97. The pitch has been graded above average to plus.
The curveball. The other contender for Adam’s best pitch. It works in the low 70s and has impressive vertical action. The curve has also been graded 55-60.
The slider has good sweep, sitting in the high 80s with a 50 grade.
Strikeout rates. In 2022, the K/9 (14.09) and K% (35.9) were outstanding.
In Zone Whiff rates are among the best in the entire minor leagues.
Macko K’s 7 (video from milb.com)
Profile Concerns
Command. It grades below average currently and reflects in Adam’s walk rates. They’re also well below average at this time (BB/9 = 4.7, BB% = 12)
Health. In 3 seasons, Macko has only pitched 95 innings and never more than 40 IP in any season. He missed most of 2021 with shoulder issues and time in 2022 with a knee injury. A full season of availability would be a huge step in his development as Adam has the arsenal to be a starter long-term.
Adam Macko, 2022 AFL (video from Baseball America)
This is a fascinating profile. You have a starting pitching prospect with a 4 pitch mix, 3 of them grading average or above while pitching very limited innings due to injury. If he gets a full season of work this year and shows some improvement on the control front, I believe there’s no way he won’t be heading up prospect rankings in a big way. Adam is also Rule-5 eligible at the end of the upcoming season.
Let’s welcome Adam Macko to our prospect follow list and hope for a healthy season for the 22-year-old pitcher. That’s going to be a wrap for now. Be on the lookout for our final Canadian Prospect Follow coming up soon. Thanks for checking in and I’ll be talking with you in a while. Until then, as always…..Keep It 80 Grade.
2023 Season Follows:
Adam Macko🍁, LHP, Toronto
Calvin Ziegler 🍁, RHP, NY Mets
Tyler Black 🍁, 2B, Milwaukee
Damiano Palmegiani🍁 , 1B/3B, Toronto
Denzel Clarke 🍁, CF, Oakland
Tsung-Che Cheng, SS, Pittsburgh
Kenedy Corona, RF, Houston
Will Dion, LHP, Cleveland
Juan Mercedes, RHP, Seattle