Jared Horn, Kevin Gowdy, Nolan Martinez, Reggie Lawson
Who Are They?
Horn has jumped up the California prep ranks as his fastball has reached the mid-90s, touching 97. His offspeed stuff is still inconsistent, and his delivery has some effort to it, but the California commit could likely be selected at the back of the first round and could be bought out from his commitment.
Gowdy is a UCLA commit with a lean build currently but a good shoulder frame at 6’2″ to add some good weight. He has had some velocity issues over this spring, which could scare off some teams, but when he’s on, he’s a guy who sits 91-93 and touches 95-96 with excellent pitchability on the mound and a high baseball IQ. He has great mechanics and delivery as well. I could see him being a factor starting at the back of the first round and certainly gone by the mid-second round.
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Martinez may be the guy on this list that ends up in college, primarily because he wants to hit as well as pitch at San Diego State. He’s very lean at 6’3″ and 165, but he has a frame to add another 20 pounds in a healthy way. He could be a possible third baseman prospect, but he’s really by far a better pro prospect as a pitcher with a mid-90s fastball with a huge spin rate that sinks hard on hitters.
He also throws a breaking ball described as a slider that works more like a sharp breaking curve in the upper 70s that is a very good paired pitch with that sinking fastball. He’ll go from the end of the first round to the mid-third round depending on how sure a team is that they could buy him away from SDSU.
Lawson finished his season injured, which may scare off some guys, but his huge upside and athleticism will definitely entice teams. He’s got a fastball up to 94-95 and a curve/change mix that is very solid, if needing some refinement in how he uses the pitches. Lawson is committed to Arizona State, but he’ll likely be in play as early as the end of the first round and certainly off the board by the end of the second round.
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