TRACK RECORD: The last few years have been up and down for McKenzie, but he finished 2020 on a decidedly upward trajectory. He made his major league debut three weeks after his 23rd birthday, excelled down the stretch and earned a spot on the Indians’ playoff roster. It was quite the turnaround after McKenzie missed all of 2019 with an upper back injury. Scouts have questioned McKenzie’s durability since the Indians drafted him 42nd overall in 2015 due to his rail-thin 6-foot-5, 165-pound frame, but he’s excelled when healthy. He won the high Class A Carolina League’s pitcher of the year award in 2017 and ranked second in the minors with 186 strikeouts. He reached Double-A the following year as a 20-year-old and put together a strong summer despite being one of the youngest players in the Eastern League. That performance carried into the big leagues in 2020, despite a 24-month gap between competitive games. McKenzie struck out 10 batters in six innings in his debut, the second-most in a debut in franchise history, and posted a 3.24 ERA over 33.1 innings down the stretch to help the Indians secure a playoff spot.
SCOUTING REPORT: Even with his skinny frame, McKenzie’s fastball averages 93 mph and has reached 97. He holds that velocity well and while it dips in the middle of his starts, he shows the ability to reach back for more and finish strong. McKenzie’s fastball plays up and gets swings and misses thanks to tremendous extension out of his delivery and a high spin rate. McKenzie also has a good feel for spinning his curveball and gets good depth on the offering, making it an out pitch that draws consensus plus grades from evaluators. His slider and changeup both improved over the last year to help round out his arsenal. His slider was especially impressive and showed it can be an above-average, swing-and-miss offering. McKenzie commands the ball well and earns praise for his makeup and understanding of his craft. He may never fill out his lean frame, so learning how to manage a starter’s workload remains a point of emphasis and will be critical for him to reach mid-to-front of the rotation ceiling.
THE FUTURE: McKenzie’s debut was everything the Indians could have hoped for, especially given the unique nature of his long gap between games given the delayed start to the 2020 season. He has a chance to be Cleveland’s next great homegrown starter and should open the 2021 season in the big league rotation.
