Scouting Report: Andre Pallante

The Cardinals made a surprise decision this spring by adding right handed pitching prospect Andre Pallante to the 40-man roster and the Major League Bullpen. But who is Pallante?

Name: Andre Pallante
Height: 6’0″
Weight: 203 lb
Throws: Right
Bats: Right
Date of Birth: 09/18/1998 (23)
Home Town: Mission Viejo, CA
School: UC Irvine
Drafted: 4th Round (125th overall) by the Cardinals in 2019 ($455,600 bonus)

After being undrafted out of high school, Pallante became a pretty good pitcher in college. He struggled out of the bullpen his freshman year, but Pallante moved to the rotation where he went 20-5 in 30 starts (195.1 IP) over his sophomore and junior seasons, posting a 2.12 ERA and 204 strikeouts. He was an All American his sophomore year. At the time, he had a mid-90s fastball (91-94 in the rotation, up to 97 in the bullpen) with good movement, along with an average slider and curve. His 3/4 arm slot had scouts wondering what his long term future was. If he stayed in the rotation, they thought a #4 starter as his ceiling.

After being drafted, he was assigned to Short Season A ball to limit his innings after a full college season. The team was aggressive after the 2020 canceled minor league season and moved him up to Double A for 2021, where he pitched to a 3.82 ERA in 21 starts. He also saw 2 games with Memphis at the end of the season. He also pitched in the Arizona Fall League, where he caught the leagues attention; he had a 1.29 ERA and 22 strikeouts in 21 innings.

Combine this with a strong spring, and he cracked the roster out of spring training.

His fastball velocity is now sitting at 99 MPH, with the same movement scouts saw in college. His slider is his next best pitch due to the horizontal movement; it typically starts in the middle of the plate and breaks into lefties. He doesn’t get much contact on the pitch, and when hitters do get lumber on it, it’s typically soft contact. He also throws his curve, which doesn’t break as much horizontally and can sometimes get hung up over the middle of the plate; if he can control it a little better, it’ll be right there with the slider. The good news is the spin is already there, so he’s close to getting the pitch to the next level. His changeup needs some work, but he can throw it to lefties and righties if it’s sequenced correctly. Again, their is potential with the pitch, but he’d have to rely on it more for it to get better; it’s something he could work on in the rotation, but not as much in the bullpen.

His pitch mix says starter (especially if one of his slider/curve becomes above average and his change becomes average); the issue is the inconsistencies in his mechanics. His arm slot is more suited to the bullpen, and his long arm means he struggles with finding the strike zone. He’ll need to learn to get the slider/curve combo painting corners to be truly successful. Being in the bullpen will allow him to rear back more with the fastball and keeping hitters on their toes with the secondary pitches.

Scores (on 20-80 scouting scale):
Fastball: 65 Starter, 70 Reliever | Slider: 55 | Curve: 50 | Change: 40 | Control: 50 | Command: 45

Ranks:
Total Rankings: 6 (out of 12 lists) | Overall: 18 | Avg: 17.00 | Median: 16.50 | Mode: 21 | Best: 13 | Worst: 21 | My Rank: 18
Full List of Rankings

Comps:
Luke Weaver, Zac Gallen, Al Santorini

Long-Term Outlook:
I’d love to see the Cardinals use Pallante this season out of the bullpen, then stretch him out next year to see if he can start at the MLB level. He’s got the pitches and facing a season of MLB hitters will do him good. He’s got the ceiling of a #3 pitcher right now; if he perfects the secondary pitches, he could be a #2 starter. His floor is a mid-level bullpen arm with good velocity and a slider.