2017 MLB Draft profile: James Marinan, Dodgers’ 4th-round pick

Name: James Marinan

Selection: 4th round, 130th pick

School: Park Vista Community HS (Fla.)

Top 200 Ranking: 63rd

What he’s good at right now: Marinan was reportedly up to the mid-90s with his fastball this spring, which given the movement he can generate should already give him a plus pitch for pro ball.

What he can be good at in the future: Marinan is a physical prep arm, with a developing 6’5 frame and a clean ¾ arm action. Marinan’s arm strength should give him the chance to develop a plus breaking pitch to pair with his fastball and has durable starter upside.

What does he need to work on: Marinan’s breaking ball looks like a slurve on tape and he will need to sharpen the break, likely moving toward a pure slider. He wasn’t a major player on the summer circuit, so logging innings against superior hitters in pro ball should help him find his weaknesses.

Carry tool: Mariner’s sinker gives him a low rotation or middle relief floor, given his already plus velocity. The pitch is heavy and should help keep the ball on the ground.

Biggest weakness: Marinan is fairly raw compared to other top high school arms in this draft, and finding a quality second (and eventually third) pitch will be important for accelerating his development.

ETA: Marinan is a prep right-hander, which gives him a fairly long ETA as is, but he does have present velocity and is already developing his frame, so he might be able to move a level a year. I’ll be conservative and say four to four and a half years.

Realistic best case scenario: Marinan has so much potential but such a distance to realize it that it’s hard to give him a best case scenario at this point. Going conservative once again, Marinan has the potential to become a physical number three starter with the durability to carry a larger workload.

Wrap: I had a second-round grade on Marinan, so James is ultimate value at this spot of the draft. The Dodgers have had recent success with projectable prep arms landing softly in pro ball, so Marinan is entering the right organization for his development. He’s a “sky’s the limit” arm talent that also has quite a bit to work on, so we’ll have a better idea of just how high his ceiling is once the development team get their hands on him.