Tony Rossi

Scouting Report

Rossi spent six years in college, bouncing from West Florida to the State JC of Florida (Manatee-Sarasota) to UNC Charlotte. After missing all of 2023 following Tommy John surgery, he came back to reach 97 mph with his fastball and destroy college hitters with his slider in 2024 but went undrafted because he was 25 years old. Signed as a nondrafted free agent for $10,000, he posted a 2.18 ERA, .119 opponent average and 34 percent strikeout rate in his pro debut last season. Rossi's slider tore up hitters at two Class A levels with its combination of mid-80s velocity and huge sweep, producing an elite 52 percent swing-and-miss rate. His fastball works in the mid-90s and maxes out at 98 mph with armside run. He works east and west with his heater and slider, then can drop an upper-80s splitter though the bottom of the zone. A physical 6-foot-3, 230-pounder, Rossi combines a low release height and extension to provide deception. He can't always maintain his delivery and has little history of providing consistent strikes. If he can develop decent control, he certainly has the stuff to find a bullpen role in the big leagues.