Aaron Civale Stats & Scouting Report — College Baseball, MLB Draft, Prospects

IP	17
ERA	2.12
WHIP	.94
BB/9	2.12
SO/9	9.53

Full name Aaron James Civale
Born 06/12/1995 in East Windsor, CT
Profile Ht.: 6'2" / Wt.: 215 / Bats: R / Throws: R
School Northeastern
Debut 06/22/2019
Drafted in the 3rd round (92nd overall) by the Cleveland Guardians in 2016 (signed for $625,000).

View Draft Report

Civale put himself on the radar with a strong showing in an exhibition game against the Red Sox during a spring training trip in his sophomore year. Civale followed up a strong sophomore spring with an otherwordly season out of the bullpen for the Hyannis Harbor Hawks in the Cape Cod League last summer. Civale transitioned to the rotation as a junior, and the results have been exceptional. Through 114.1 innings, he had struck out 121 and walked just 15, pitching to a 1.73 ERA. He's a well-built starting pitching prospect at 6-foot-2 and 215 pounds. Civale has a clean, compact delivery that he repeats well. Civale pitches with control of an average fastball, and his hard, tight breaking ball enables him to get swings and misses.

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

Track Record: Civale moved to the rotation as a junior at Northeastern and delivered phenomenal results in 2016, ranking in the top 15 nationally in ERA (1.73), strikeouts (121) and WHIP (0.93). He's taken off since that move and in 2018 reached Double-A Akron. He was sidelined in May for about a month due to a right lat strain but was able to get back on track down the stretch.

Scouting Report: Civale's above-average control is his best tool, and he also mixes in solid stuff. His fastball sits in the low 90s and his feel for spin enables him to throw a cutter, slider and curveball. His curveball is the best of the group, but they all work well in concert to give the effect of an above-average breaking ball that changes angles and power and about half of his pitches are a breaking ball of some kind. Civale has worked to improve his changeup after not needing it as an amateur.

The Future: Civale's stuff, size and makeup give him a chance to be a workhorse starter and the Indians have never been eager to return him to the bullpen. But breaking into their rotation is no easy task and the Tribe's need for bullpen help may mean his first chance in the big leagues comes as a reliever. Civale is likely to open the season in the rotation for Triple-A Columbus.
Civale moved to the rotation as a junior at Northeastern and delivered phenomenal results in 2016, ranking in the top 15 nationally in ERA (1.73), strikeouts (121) and WHIP (0.93). Civale built on that success in his first full professional season, and his above-average command helped him rank third among all qualified minor league starters in walks per nine innings (0.8). Civale's pinpoint control is his best tool, but he also mixes in solid stuff. His fastball sits in the low 90s and his feel for spin enables him to throw a cutter, slider and curveball. His slider is the best of the group, but they all work well in concert to give the effect of an above-average breaking ball that changes angles and power. Civale worked in 2017 to improve his changeup after never needing it as an amateur. His stuff, size and makeup give him a chance to stay in the rotation in the long run. Civale will face a challenge in 2018 as he advances for the first time to the upper levels of the minor leagues.
After spending his first two years at Northeastern in the bullpen, Civale moved to the rotation as a junior in 2016 and delivered phenomenal results. He ranked 10th in the country in ERA (1.73), 14th in strikeouts (121) and ninth in WHIP (0.93). The Indians selected him in the third round, making him the highest player drafted from Northeastern since Adam Ottavino went 30th overall to the Cardinals in 2006. Civale continued his impressive year with a strong pro debut at short-season Mahoning Valley. He fills up the zone with his low-90s fastball and is working to develop his changeup after never needing it in college. His hard, tight slider has a chance to be a plus offering, and he also throws a curveball. He repeats his delivery well and works down in the zone. Civale has the stuff and physical frame to continue to develop as a starter. He will probably begin 2017 at high Class A Lynchburg and could advance quickly through the system.

Draft Prospects

Civale put himself on the radar with a strong showing in an exhibition game against the Red Sox during a spring training trip in his sophomore year. Civale followed up a strong sophomore spring with an otherwordly season out of the bullpen for the Hyannis Harbor Hawks in the Cape Cod League last summer. Civale transitioned to the rotation as a junior, and the results have been exceptional. Through 114.1 innings, he had struck out 121 and walked just 15, pitching to a 1.73 ERA. He's a well-built starting pitching prospect at 6-foot-2 and 215 pounds. Civale has a clean, compact delivery that he repeats well. Civale pitches with control of an average fastball, and his hard, tight breaking ball enables him to get swings and misses.

Minor League Top Prospects

After working primarily out of the bullpen his first two seasons at Northeastern, Civale transitioned to the weekend rotation in the spring and flourished. The well-built 6-foot-2, 215-pound righthander went 9-3, 1.73 with a 121-to-15 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 114.1 innings en route to a third-round selection by the Indians. Civale continued to pitch at a high level in the NYP, where he was limited to three innings and 55 pitches per start. The righthander exhibits excellent feel for manipulating the baseball, cutting and sinking his fastball while also throwing a true four-seamer that sits in the low 90s and has been up to 95 mph with a high spin rate. He adds a hard, tight-breaking slider that produces swings and misses and a firm 84-86 mph changeup. Civale commands that five-pitch arsenal well, though at times he can lean on his cutter a little too much. He fits a starter's profile with his varied pitch mix and advanced feel for pitching.

Best Tools List

Rated Best Control in the Cleveland Guardians in 2019
Rated Best Slider in the Cleveland Guardians in 2018

Career Transactions

Tampa Bay Rays activated RHP Aaron Civale.
Tampa Bay Rays reassigned RHP Aaron Civale to the minor leagues.
Cleveland Guardians traded RHP Aaron Civale to Tampa Bay Rays for 1B Kyle Manzardo.
Cleveland Guardians traded RHP Aaron Civale to Tampa Bay Rays for 1B Kyle Manzardo.
Cleveland Guardians activated RHP Aaron Civale from the 15-day injured list.
Cleveland Guardians sent RHP Aaron Civale on a rehab assignment to Columbus Clippers.
sent RHP Aaron Civale on a rehab assignment to Columbus Clippers.
Cleveland Guardians sent RHP Aaron Civale on a rehab assignment to Columbus Clippers.
Cleveland Guardians placed RHP Aaron Civale on the 15-day injured list retroactive to April 8, 2023. Left oblique strain.

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