Good morning PARS crew, and welcome to another edition of PARScards. With Volume 10, the top arm in the Oakland A's system (per PARS) gets center stage.
Chen Zhong-Ao Zhuang · OAK · 23 · Single-A/High-A
PARS score: 60.2 · Rank: #132
I can't start this volume without giving all of the credit to Nathaniel Stoltz. He was the first to put me on to Zhuang, and offered this writeup last month. It's lengthy, but then again the site is called excessiveprospectanalysis.com.
(leave it to the A's to misspell a player's name in their signing announcement)
Signed out of Taiwan in November of 2021, the 6-foot-1 righty debuted in 2022 in Single-A. There, he put up modest numbers over 8 starts, showcasing plus command and some strikeout ability. Then, without fail, The-Arm-and-Shoulder Injury Bug captured yet another innocent victim, ending his season, and also eliminating his 2023. Back now in 2024, he's reminding us of that talent and potential.
Per Nathaniel's writeup, Zhuang has a deadly 1-2 punch in his arsenal:
1) A heater that touches 97
(high heat gets Rayne Doncon swinging)
2) A lethal changeup
Personally I have a hard time differentiating the changeup from the splitter (see below).
He's also got a nasty 2-seam fastball. Zhuang's fastballs have been clocked within a whopping 10mph range, from 88-97mph.
And here's the aforementioned splitter...
... and a couple breaking balls. I'm not sure if the curve will play as he moves up. Nathaniel slapped a 30 on it, and I think he's right:
Here's Kevin Maitan fouling a breaking ball off his foot:
This one will work, though. Lol Leonardo Bernal.
Nathaniel identified a potential cutter that "tornadoes into oblivion":
There's no need to reinvent the wheel here. Nathaniel's summary of Zhuang's arsenal is perfect:
Here are some metrics as well:
All in all, color me impressed and highly intrigued. He's experimenting with several different pitches and speeds, has a bulldog/attack mentality on the mound, and has plus command. This is a case where I'm trusting the pitcher more than the results, such as with Will Warren amid his troubles this year. There's more than just the stat line, of course, and Zhuang is giving us a few reasons to hold even with some potential growing pains. I roster Zhuang in all three of my dynasty leagues (a 12, 15, and 30), as I see more upside than what the current stats may speak to. There is injury risk, but when isn't there?
Give Nathaniel a follow unless you don't want to know about A's prospects.
Thanks for reading!
—Rick ✌🏼