18-year-old switch pitcher has MLB scouts salivating
If you love watching Angels two-way star Shohei Ohtani blast home runs and confound batters with his splitter, then just wait until you see 18-year-old baseball prospect Anthony Seigler in action.
The senior from Cartersville High in Georgia is a rare switch-hitting catcher, except, he’s not just a catcher. Seigler is capable of playing all nine positions, and he can do it right-handed and left-handed.
“It’s a unique toolset,” a Georgia-based scout told Bleacher Report. “You just don’t see it.”
Seigler first learned how to do things with both hands when he was a kid. Since then, he’s only gotten better at it.
“Ant started walking at nine-and-a-half months, and at 10 months, I got him this small wood bat he would swing,” said Anthony’s father, Todd Seigler. “I noticed if I rolled a ball to his left, he would pick it up with his left hand and throw it. If I rolled it to his right, he would pick it up with his right hand and throw.”
“I remember thinking, ‘When he gets older, I’m going to buy him a glove for both hands.’ And that’s what I did. We literally started alternating arms day-to-day,” he added.
Todd would have his son alternate hands when he pitched and hit, and that technique was highly effective. “For him, it was just normal,” Todd said. “It was like learning to talk, eat or brush his teeth.”
For a long time, Anthony hasn’t thought of himself as a righty or lefty. Rather, he considers himself to be both. “I’ve been doing it so long it just feels normal,” he said. “It’s second nature.”
When he’s playing catcher or manning the infield, he told Bleacher Report he normally throws with his right hand. But when he’s pitching, he’ll change it up.
Though Seigler used to switch hands in the middle of innings, he now normally sticks with one hand throughout the same inning. As a lefty, he can throw in the mid-80s, though his pitchers have noticeable movement. When he uses his right hand, he’s capable of surpassing 90 mph.
Whatever Seigler is doing is working, as he pitched to a sparking 1.09 earned run average in 25 and two-thirds innings this year, with 29 strikeouts and just six walks.
Despite his excellent pitching statistics, what scouts are really excited about is Seigler’s abilities as a catcher and hitter.
“I feel catching is what’s going to get me to the next level,” he said.
“I’m going to miss pitching,” Seigler added. “But as long as I’m still playing, that’s fine with me.”
Seigler certainly has proven himself at the plate, as he batted .421 this season with 13 home runs and 26 total extra bases.
2018 Cartersville (Ga.) High catcher Anthony Seigler with a massive homer in round two of the Georgia 4-A playoffs yesterday. His 10th of the season: #MLBDraft pic.twitter.com/MbasgpUYmK
— Carlos Collazo (@CarlosACollazo) May 4, 2018
Though Seigler has committed to the University of Florida, he’s expected to be selected late in the first round of next month’s MLB draft.
And while he’s likely going to be drafted as a catcher, whichever team team takes him will no doubt benefit from his ability to play anywhere on the field.
“He’d probably be our best center fielder,” Cartersville coach Kyle Tucker said. “He’d probably be our best infielder. He’s probably our best pitcher. He throws strikes, and he’s tough to hit. And he’s our best catcher.”
“And right-handed hitter. And left-handed hitter,” Tucker added.
Catching, however, is what Seigler loves, and that’s the position where he’s most likely to find success at the major league level.
“Catching really is his passion,” Todd Seigler said. “He loves being in charge.”
Anthony Seigler is good at framing pitches and blocking balls that are in the dirt, but he really shines when he can show off his arm. Last season, 21 runners attempted to steal on him, and less than half — nine — were successful.
“His arm is such a weapon,” Tucker said. “It’s really amazing to watch.”
“The thing that caught my eye was how accurate his throws are,” the scout added.
Seigler has yet to make his mark in the pros, but his future coaches are sure to be impressed once they see what he can do.
“You just put him out there, and you don’t worry about it,” Tucker said. “He’s just a baseball player. He’s a baseball player in the truest sense.”
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