Ethan Schiefelbein Scouting Report
Background: A California native, Ethan Schiefelbein played his high school baseball for Corona High School, the alma mater of big leaguers Samad Taylor, Tristan Beck, and former Tigers draft pick Mike Darr. Schiefelbein was well regarded as a prep player and had a knack for pitching well in big games. He allowed just one run over nine innings for the 2023 18U National Team. He struck out 12 during a one-hit shutout at the National High School Invitational. And he threw a two-hit shutout against Bryce Rainer and Harvard-Westlake to win the California Division I title. The Tigers selected him in Competitive Balance Round B of the 2024 Draft, 72nd overall, and signed him to a well-over-slot bonus of $1.8 million.
Physical Description: Schiefelbein has a medium frame and a youthful build. He’s listed at 6-foot-2 and 180 pounds, and he has room to add mass to both his upper and lower body. He employs a simple, smooth delivery with a traditional 3/4 arm slot. His arm lags behind his body in a way that seems to add deception without hampering his command, but it does lead to him falling toward third base in his follow through. Plays with a quiet intensity. Takes an advanced mental approach to the game, and will utilize any competitive advantage he can.
Fastball: 50
Schiefelbein’s fastball sits in the 91-92 MPH range, but he will drop it down to 88 or run it as high as 95, seemingly at will. Pitch plays above its velocity band, particularly up in the zone, thanks to plus carry that regularly registers 20+ inches of induced vertical break.
Curve: 50
Schiefelbein throws a true 12-6 curve that sits around 76-78 MPH and pairs well with his elevated fastball. He shows some feel for dropping it in the top of the zone to steal a strike against righties, but he can also make it look like a low fastball and drop it out of the zone.
Slider: 55
His slider can look a lot like his curveball at times, though it’s generally thrown a little harder, in the 80-83 MPH range. At it’s best Schiefelbein’s slider shows good horizontal sweeping action and solid, bat-missing depth.
Changeup: 45
Currently a bit underdeveloped, but Schiefelbein will show a changeup in the mid-80s with solid tail but not much dive.
Command: 50
Schiefelbein shows fairly advanced feel for all of his pitches. He can work his fastball and his breaking balls to each side of the plate, and he has a great feel for elevating the heater and leaving his changeup low.
Overall: Ethan Schiefelbein is a very intriguing developmental prospect for the Detroit Tigers. His stuff is solid across the board, but right now his command and feel for pitching stand out more. We expect him to transition into pro ball fairly well, but he’ll need to tighten up his arsenal to succeed at the highest levels. Right now he projects as more of a #4-5 starter, but with some velocity gains, a harder slider, and a more consistent changeup, he could easily develop into a solid #3 starter.
Rogelio Castillo