Calvin Faucher

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Tampa Bay Rays #26 prospect in 2023
  BA Grade/Risk: 40/Medium
  
  Track Record: A $10,000 senior sign as a 2017 Twins 10th-round pick, Faucher's development has been entirely as a reliever. He pitched in the bullpen at Southwestern (Calif.) JC, the closer for UC Irvine and a reliever in five seasons in the minors before he made his MLB debut on May 9, 2022. The Rays acquired Faucher along with DH Nelson Cruz for Joe Ryan and Drew Strotman in July 2021.
  
  Scouting Report: When Faucher was drafted, he threw a low-90s fastball and a low-80s slider. Now, his slider sits in the same velocity range as he fastball did coming out of school. Faucher's hard 88-91 mph slider is a plus pitch with sweep but very modest depth, producing chases and swings and misses from righties. His mid-80s curveball has flashed plus potential, especially against lefthanded hitters, with vertical depth but he seemed to lose confidence in it in 2022. Faucher's mid-90s fastball is only average, and becomes less effective when he's behind in counts and hitters can hunt for it. Faucher's control and command are only fringe-average and he struggles at times to throw strikes. He searched for a comfortable spot on the pitching rubber all year, going from the first base to third base side of the rubber.
  
  The Future: Faucher should fit in the Rays' bullpen mix in 2023 as a reliever with two remaining options.
  
  Scouting Grades: Fastball: 50. Curveball: 55. Slider: 60. Control: 45
• 
  Ranked Tampa Bay Rays #24 prospect in 2022
  Track Record: No team is better at getting a useful throw-in on a trade than the Rays. When acquiring Nelson Cruz from the Twins for righthanders Joe Ryan and Drew Strotman, the Rays also got Faucher added to the trade, even though the former $10,000 senior sign out of UC Irvine had a 7.09 ERA, a .320 opponents average against and a 2.05 WHIP for Double-A Wichita. As a Ray, Faucher dominated at Triple-A and was added to the 40-man roster after the season.
  
  Scouting Report: Faucher is an analytics darling thanks to his exceptionally high-spin (3,200 rpm) mid-80s plus curveball. It got better as the season wore on, with the kind of late bite that could make hitters look foolish. Faucher has to land his curveball or his harder, cutterish average slider, as his mid-90s average fastball isn’t a bat-misser. When Faucher got in trouble early in the season, hitters got into counts where they could hunt fastballs. Faucher has average control, but his breaking ball-heavy approach means he will have plenty of deep counts.
  
  The Future: Faucher should be ready to at least be an up-and-down reliever for the Rays in 2022, riding the Durham-to-Tampa Bay shuttle like Louis Head did in 2021. His curveball gives him a shot to pitch in high-leverage scenarios eventually, although he doesn’t project as a closer.
  

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #390 prospect in 2017 draft
  Faucher transferred from Southwestern (Chula Vista, Calif.) JC and spent two seasons as UC Irvine's closer. He finished his Anteaters career with 20 saves and 92 strikeouts in 65 innings. Faucher's fastball sits 90-92 mph but it's his 80-83 mph slider that stands out. He throws the pitch frequently and has solid command of it, making it a true out pitch. Faucher won't overpower, but his two-pitch mix with a potential plus offering projects well in a bullpen.

• February, 2023 Scouting Report
  BA Grade/Risk: 40/Medium
  
  Track Record: A $10,000 senior sign as a 2017 Twins 10th-round pick, Faucher's development has been entirely as a reliever. He pitched in the bullpen at Southwestern (Calif.) JC, the closer for UC Irvine and a reliever in five seasons in the minors before he made his MLB debut on May 9, 2022. The Rays acquired Faucher along with DH Nelson Cruz for Joe Ryan and Drew Strotman in July 2021.
  
  Scouting Report: When Faucher was drafted, he threw a low-90s fastball and a low-80s slider. Now, his slider sits in the same velocity range as he fastball did coming out of school. Faucher's hard 88-91 mph slider is a plus pitch with sweep but very modest depth, producing chases and swings and misses from righties. His mid-80s curveball has flashed plus potential, especially against lefthanded hitters, with vertical depth but he seemed to lose confidence in it in 2022. Faucher's mid-90s fastball is only average, and becomes less effective when he's behind in counts and hitters can hunt for it. Faucher's control and command are only fringe-average and he struggles at times to throw strikes. He searched for a comfortable spot on the pitching rubber all year, going from the first base to third base side of the rubber.
  
  The Future: Faucher should fit in the Rays' bullpen mix in 2023 as a reliever with two remaining options.
  
  Scouting Grades: Fastball: 50. Curveball: 55. Slider: 60. Control: 45
• December, 2022 Scouting Report
  BA Grade/Risk: 40/Medium
  
  Track Record: A $10,000 senior sign as a 2017 Twins 10th-round pick, Faucher's development has been entirely as a reliever. He pitched in the bullpen at Southwestern (Calif.) JC, the closer for UC Irvine and a reliever in five seasons in the minors before he made his MLB debut on May 9, 2022. The Rays acquired Faucher along with DH Nelson Cruz for Joe Ryan and Drew Strotman in July 2021.
  
  Scouting Report: When Faucher was drafted, he threw a low-90s fastball and a low-80s slider. Now, his slider sits in the same velocity range as he fastball did coming out of school. Faucher's hard 88-91 mph slider is a plus pitch with sweep but very modest depth, producing chases and swings and misses from righties. His mid-80s curveball has flashed plus potential, especially against lefthanded hitters, with vertical depth but he seemed to lose confidence in it in 2022. Faucher's mid-90s fastball is only average, and becomes less effective when he's behind in counts and hitters can hunt for it. Faucher's control and command are only fringe-average and he struggles at times to throw strikes. He searched for a comfortable spot on the pitching rubber all year, going from the first base to third base side of the rubber.
  
  The Future: Faucher should fit in the Rays' bullpen mix in 2023 as a reliever with two remaining options.
  
  Scouting Grades: Fastball: 50. Curveball: 55. Slider: 60. Control: 45
• December, 2021 Scouting Report
  Track Record: No team is better at getting a useful throw-in on a trade than the Rays. When acquiring Nelson Cruz from the Twins for righthanders Joe Ryan and Drew Strotman, the Rays also got Faucher added to the trade, even though the former $10,000 senior sign out of UC Irvine had a 7.09 ERA, a .320 opponents average against and a 2.05 WHIP for Double-A Wichita. As a Ray, Faucher dominated at Triple-A and was added to the 40-man roster after the season.
  
  Scouting Report: Faucher is an analytics darling thanks to his exceptionally high-spin (3,200 rpm) mid-80s plus curveball. It got better as the season wore on, with the kind of late bite that could make hitters look foolish. Faucher has to land his curveball or his harder, cutterish average slider, as his mid-90s average fastball isn’t a bat-misser. When Faucher got in trouble early in the season, hitters got into counts where they could hunt fastballs. Faucher has average control, but his breaking ball-heavy approach means he will have plenty of deep counts.
  
  The Future: Faucher should be ready to at least be an up-and-down reliever for the Rays in 2022, riding the Durham-to-Tampa Bay shuttle like Louis Head did in 2021. His curveball gives him a shot to pitch in high-leverage scenarios eventually, although he doesn’t project as a closer.