#Stretch zone wake forest plus
#Stretch zone wake forest series

Waldrep has a great sweeping slider, which is a 70-grade pitch, and a whiff machine already. The command of the fastball has been inconsistent and he’s been made to throw it far too much for the Gators. His pitching arsenal is led by a fastball that sits 95-97 mph and has good carry to it, which helps it play up in the zone. Originally a relief pitcher for Southern Miss, he transferred to Florida after breaking out as a starter in 2022, amassing 140 strikeouts in just over 90 innings of work.

#Stretch zone wake forest series

Waldrep has an argument for the best series of secondary pitches in the entire draft. Position: RHP, Age: 21, School: Florida, Height: 6’2, Weight: 205, B/T: R/R, Rank: 13 There’s a front of the rotation arm in there, that's already proved it over the course of the 2022 season. There have been a number of smart baseball folk suggesting Dollander’s challenges in 2023 are more mechanical than anything else. Additionally, his slider metrics have ticked back, resulting in him throwing the pitch less, and having to rely more heavily on his fastball. He’s lost some control, walking almost double the amount of hitters than he did in 2022 at the time of writing. Two challenges have plagued Dollander in 2023. The foundation of four pitches, three of which could be plus, is still incredibly exciting.

#Stretch zone wake forest plus

He also has a changeup which has a ton of fade and could be another plus pitch for him. His best pitch is probably his slider, a nasty sweeper with a ton of horizontal movement that’s death on hitters. Dollander has a curveball that is above average and has an excellent chase rate (and a pitch he can land for strikes). It’s not an elite pitch but serves to set up his breaking pitches exceptionally well. His fastball sits 94-96 mph, although it’s hit 99 mph which is thrown from a low release in his three-quarters slot. While Dollander’s production and stuff have taken a step back in 2023, he’s still an excellent/elite prospect with a ton to offer from a diverse, high-quality arsenal of pitches.

So what does Dollander offer and what type of emphasis should we place on his 2023 performance? His fall down the rankings is due as much to the rise and dominance of Paul Skenes as it is due to his own uneven performance in 2023. Position: RHP, Age: 21, School: Tennessee, Height: 6’3, Weight: 195, B/T: R/R, Rank: 7ĭollander was a consensus top-three pick for the early part of the season. Although I don’t love the idea of drafting a pitcher in the top five on principle, you do it for a special prospect, and Skenes fits that description.

Through late May, Skenes has walked just 18 in 86 2/3 innings of work, to go along with 164 strikeouts (not a typo). You might be inclined to think that an arm with that much raw stuff would have control or command issues. There’s not a fourth pitch yet although he has thrown a sinker as a second fastball. It’s paired with a hellacious sweeper that has up to 13 inches of horizontal movement that he can land for strikes and generates an incredible amount of swing or miss. He has cranked it up to 102 mph but it typically sits 96-98mph, velocity he can maintain deep into starts. Skenes throws from a three-quarter slot with a flat-angled approach and good carry on his fastball that helps it play up in the zone. Originally a two-way player at Air Force, Skenes focused solely on pitching in 2023 under the tutelage of Wes Johnson, and boy has it paid off. Skenes is a huge human, at 6’5, 235, he has a prototypical build for a starting pitcher built to throw a lot of innings. Let’s take a look at what has everyone so worked up. The LSU righty has had a record-breaking year, leading many to dub him the best college starting pitching prospect since Gerrit Cole (2011) or Stephen Strasburg(2009). While Skenes being on the board for the Twins at five is unlikely, stranger things have happened in the MLB Draft. Position: RHP, Age: 21, School: LSU, Height: 6’5, Weight: 235, B/T: R/R, Rank: 3