Category: Sports News

Zach Thornton hasn’t found a way to stick in the Mets rotation this season.

That may change after his performance Sunday, perhaps the lone bit of optimism after another disappointing defeat.

The rookie left-hander, who lacks a dominant repertoire, has impressed the organization with his ability to make the most of his arsenal.

He did it again in a 3-2, 10-inning loss to Boston, when he tossed seven shutout innings against a solid lineup.

Interim manager Andy Green said the 24-year-old would make his next start in the majors, which is hardly a surprise considering the state of the rotation.

“He attacked, was aggressive and had tempo,” Green said. “He missed barrels. … For us, that is what we want to see out of him.”

It’s more than they have seen from most of their rotation, which consists of Nolan McLean, Christian Scott and Sean Manaea, as well as Freddy Peralta — who figures to be moved prior to the Aug. 3 trade deadline.

Thornton said he relied on throwing all five of his pitches for strikes, which is how he can get by with a four-seamer that typically sits in the low 90s.

“It’s the way I grew up watching the game,’’ Thornton said, noting Jacob deGrom as an example.

“DeGrom would go seven or eight innings every time, through the lineup three or four times,’’ Thornton said.

Thornton’s stuff won’t often be confused with deGrom’s, but his results Sunday were more than the Mets could have asked for.

His previous two outings came with Triple-A Syracuse, but Thornton had already pitched well against the Phillies in his second start in the majors this season.

He allowed just two hits and a pair of walks over his seven innings and needed just 82 pitches to do so.

Thornton hardly broke a sweat through the first four innings. He retired 13 of the first 14 batters he faced, allowing only a leadoff walk in the second to Romy González before Andruw Monasterio doubled with one out in the fifth.

Thornton then struck out Jarren Duran and induced a groundout from Nate Eaton to keep the Mets ahead by a run.

Kodai Senga is out of the rotation, Clay Holmes is still sidelined by a fractured fibula and Tobias Myers was optioned to Syracuse again Sunday, leaving plenty of room for Thornton.

“I’m super excited to be here to contribute to wins,’’ Thornton said.

Asked if he thought he belonged in the majors, Thornton said, “I think I belong anywhere.”

“He’s unafraid,’’ Green said. “We’re seeing who he is. He attacks everybody at every level.”

For a team going nowhere, finding out if Thornton can keep this up might be worth watching in the second half.

On Saturday, Virginia Tech pitcher Brett Renfrow heard his name called in the 2026 MLB Draft, selected No. 74 overall by the Minnesota Twins.

Major League Baseball wrapped up the draft on Sunday, and three more Hokies heard their names called. Here are those Hokies:

• P Luke Craytor: Selected 255th overall (9th round) by the Chicago White Sox
• P Griffin Stieg: Selected 378th overall (13th) round by the Pittsburgh Pirates
• P Madden Clement: Selected 449th overall (15th round) by the Kansas City Royals

The 6-foot-5, 220-pound Craytor is a native of Charlottesville (Western Albemarle), and he spent his first two collegiate seasons at Lafayette. He played the last two seasons for the Hokies. In 2026, Craytor appeared in 21 games, going 4-0 with a 3.16 ERA and 30 strikeouts in 25.2 innings pitched. He allowed 22 hits and 13 walks.

Stieg, a 6-foot-4, 220-pound right-hander from McLean, Virginia (McLean High School), spent four seasons at Virginia Tech, finishing his collegiate career with a 6-7 record and a 6.32 ERA, with 124 strikeouts in 136.2 innings pitched.

The 6-foot-3, 210-pound Clement is a native of Butler, Pa., and spent three years at Virginia Tech. Clement finishing his career by pitching in 21 games, making 11 starts, finishing with a 2-1 record, a 4.74 ERA, with 41 strikeouts in 38 innings pitched.

Congratulations to all four Hokies who are beginning the next step of their baseball careers.

Devin Williams’ blown save Sunday wasn’t as much on the closer as it was on Francisco Lindor’s ninth-inning error, but Williams was hardly blameless.

After struggling for most of his time with the Yankees last season, Williams has been inconsistent — at best — with the Mets and has allowed runs in three of his past four outings heading into the All-Star break.

Despite that — and that another former Yankee, Luke Weaver, has been excellent — interim manager Andy Green said Williams isn’t going anywhere and will still be the closer in the second half of the season.

Asked if he was considering a change following a 3-2, 10-inning loss to Boston, their third straight defeat, Green said, “Not at this point.”

He struggled early with the Mets and then had a solid 10-appearance stretch, but has fallen on hard times again.

Williams said of his outing Sunday, “I didn’t have my best command by any means. That’s the way it goes sometimes.”

Weaver, meanwhile, has been outstanding after coming over from The Bronx.

But Green pointed to Williams’ experience as his reason for keeping him in his role.

“Devin has done it so long and done it really well,’’ Green said.

He also noted that Williams — at least Sunday — was the victim of some misfortune.

In addition to Lindor’s error, there was also a bloop single by Jarren Duran that scored a run.

Still, Williams ended up allowing a pair of hits and two walks in the fateful inning.

“He did positive things on the mound,’’ Green said.

Bo Bichette was out of the lineup for a third straight game to close out the first half as he continues to deal with right ankle soreness.

Bichette pinch hit in the bottom of the 10th and hit a soft liner to first to end the game.

Green said before the game Bichette would be limited to pinch hitting as the team looked to use the upcoming break to give him more time off. However, Bichette said after the loss he would be ready to play Thursday in Philadelphia.

Marcus Semien (left hip flexor strain) homered and had a pair of hits in a minor league rehab game with Double-A Binghamton on Sunday. Green said Semien and Luis Robert Jr. (lumbar spine disc herniation) would get some at-bats against Clay Holmes over the All-Star break as all three prepare to return at some point in the second half.

Robert also had two hits with Binghamton on Sunday, with Green saying both he and Semien would likely get more rehab games following the break before they could rejoin the lineup.

Right-hander Tobias Myers was optioned to Triple-A Syracuse on Sunday to open a spot for Zach Thornton.

We are currently in search of a new polling application to use with our updates, so please bear with our more naked feature today.

Charlotte Knights 12, Nashville Sounds 4
Completely redeeming themselves from Saturday, the Knights (49-44) popped off for 15 hits and blew out the Sounds (53-40), 12-4, splitting the series with three wins each. Two homers and five RBIs in the game from Nolan Jones and a grand slam from Michael Turner in the fourth accounted for nine of the 12 runs, and Edgar Quero blasted three hits and an RBI. Five of the nine Charlotte batters posted multi-hit days, as both Ryan Galanie and Caden Connor went 2-for-5, with the final RBI attributed to Mario Camilletti. The Knights also walked four times, with Rikuu Nishida accounting for three of them, scoring all three times he reached base, stealing one along the way.

After a pair of rehab starts with the Winston-Salem Dash, Shane Smith was officially reinstated to the Knights roster and tossed four solid frames with one run scoring on three hits and a walk, striking out five in the process.

Righthander Tanner McDougal made his third appearance since being activated from a longer IL stint, and he has yet to surrender a hit in his three innings, adding another scoreless frame today with two walks and two strikeouts. Lucas Sims ended up with his second win of the season after a hitless frame, though Sims hasn’t been consistent at all this season, holding an 8.10 ERA in 14 games and 13 1/3 innings.

Columbus Clingstones 7, Birmingham Barons 4
Neither side of the ball was positive for the Barons (32-55), as they struck out 12 times at the plate, went 2-for-9 (.222) with runners in scoring position, and the pitching allowed six in the first 4 2/3 innings to drop five of six to the Clingstones. Lefthander Lucas Gordon has struggled in 2026 with the Barons, reaching a 5.15 ERA in 18 starts (87 1/3 frames), and he wound up with his fifth loss of the season in Sunday’s series finale. The main issue with Gordon is a high (11.5%) walk rate, and he gives up a home run or two nearly every outing. Only five of his 18 starts have gone without a home run allowed, and his 1.73 HR/9 is nearly double last season’s (0.84 HR/9). Until he makes an adjustment to prevent the long ball, he could have a tough time working his way up to the majors.

Only two players were able to drive runs in, and Alec Briley started the scoring for the Barons with an RBI base hit in the top of the third that had cut the lead in half for Birmingham, 2-1, Columbus. The other three belonged to Brenden Dixon, who smashed a three-run shot in the seventh for his third home run of the year, but the offense left four on base and couldn’t close the gap.

Winston-Salem Dash 10, Asheville Tourists 4
Scoring in every inning except for the sixth, the Dash (50-37) outhit the Tourists (20-56), 11-7, to even out the series at three, 10-4. It also helped that Asheville committed an error that provided an unearned run to Winston-Salem, and thanks to five homers for the Dash, it didn’t matter that they went 2-for-14 with runners in scoring position with 10 left on base. Jeral Perez was a triple short of the cycle with three hits on the day, and Arxy Hernández led the team with three RBIs on two hits, including a three-run bomb in the fourth. Both he and James Taussig have homered in back-to-back games, with the other two stemming from Ryan Burrowes and George Wolkow.

Appearing in his sixth rehab appearance with the Dash, lefthander Tommy Vail made his first start since returning from the IL, tossing for 2 1/3 with two runs allowed (just one earned) on three hits and three strikeouts, but he struggled with free base runners with four walks on the day. In his 7 2/3 frames with Winston-Salem, Vail holds an 11.74 ERA with a frightening 2.87 WHIP, on top of walking three more batters (10) than he’s struck out (seven). Working as Sunday’s bulk reliever, righthander Jake Curtis took over for four scoreless, earning his third win of the season.

Delmarva Shorebirds 6, Kannapolis Cannon Ballers 5
The pitching couldn’t hold the Cannon Ballers (44-43) lead, as Marco Barrios blew the save in the sixth that allowed the Shorebirds (31-56) to take the lead and win the game, 6-5. The Ballers still won the series, but they ultimately lost a four-run lead, and Truman Pauley did not set Kanny up for success with four runs allowed in his 3 2/3-inning start. Barrios was the only rough part of the bullpen, however, as Ryan Schiefer, Jesus Mendez and Jordan Morales all finished with a scoreless outing.

All five runs came from two innings, though the Cannon Ballers couldn’t buy a run after the fourth. A squeeze bunt from Efren Teran and a two-run double from Jaden Fauske scored three for Kannapolis early in the top of the second, while Matthew Boughton recorded the other two RBIs with a two-run single just a couple innings later. Adrian Gil also walked twice, scoring both times, but none of the Ballers put up multi-hit days.

PHILADELPHIA — There is nothing unique about the Yankees developing a hard-throwing and effective reliever, the type the club regularly churns out (and regularly deals at the trade deadline).

There is nothing unique about the Yankees finding a gem later in the draft, a recent organizational strength that is on display this week with first-time All-Stars Ben Rice and Cam Schlittler.

So maybe Ben Grable, an 11th-round pick out of Indiana University last year who has sawed through competition at High-A Hudson Valley and Double-A Somerset, making him a late addition to Sunday’s All-Star Futures Game, is not unique.

On the mound, though, there really is no major leaguer like him.

Grable said he is averaging 96.1 mph with his four-seamer and about 20.5 to 21 inches of induced vertical break — essentially the movement generated from how the ball spins. The more vertical break, the more the ball seems to rise (and the more hitters tend to swing under the pitch).

There are three qualified major leaguers (Alex Vesia, Tobias Myers and Dylan Lee) whose four-seamers average 20 inches of vertical break. None has a fastball that buzzes at even 94 mph.

There are plenty of pitchers whose fastball are as fast as Grable’s, but none fight gravity like his four-seamer. The closest comparison might be the Padres’ Jeremiah Estrada, whose heater has averaged 95.8 mph with 19.8 inches of vertical break this year. In the past three years in San Diego, Estrada has often been untouchable with a 3.26 ERA and 225 strikeouts in 154 ²/₃ innings.

That is as close to company as exists for Grable, whose fastball’s combination of velocity and spin makes it like no one else’s.

“When I got to Indiana, they sort of taught us the metrics and all that,” Grable said before throwing two pitches and recording one out in a brief appearance at the Futures Game. “I didn’t really know how good it was until I got into New York.”

The 6-foot-4 right-hander was not the first choice to represent the organization at Citizens Bank Park — George Lombard Jr. and Carlos Lagrange were scratched with injuries — but he was a worthy choice in what has been a quietly incredible season.

His 2.61 ERA is good. His peripheral numbers are better. Among the 1,602 affiliated minor leaguers who have thrown at least 30 innings (Grable has thrown 31 innings in 28 relief appearances), Grable ranks fourth in WHIP (0.77), 16th in strikeout percentage (40.2 percent) and eighth in opponents’ batting average (.127) while walking 2.90 per nine innings.

A Southern California native who pitched two years at Northwestern and one at Indiana, Grable underwent Tommy John surgery in 2024. He returned to start and relieve for the Hoosiers, posting a 4.31 ERA in his final collegiate season before becoming one of 10 pitchers the Yankees drafted last year (and the first to shoot through the system).

He is a different pitcher than he was at college, where he said his fastball averaged 92 mph at Indiana and where he threw a different slider.

He said he “cleaned up my mechanics,” now pitches exclusively from the stretch, worked on a fastball the Yankees believed “can be a whole lot better” and watched his velocity spike.

“It’s a unique profile and shape in comparison to a lot of other fastballs out there,” said Somerset manager James Cooper, who was the AL’s third base coach. “Just when teams were starting to figure that out, that’s when he started landing the secondary stuff, and I think that’s what’s been making him special.”

His tight slider is not unique, but that is kind of the point: Seeking a different grip about a month and a half ago, Grable wound up watching a Pitching Ninja online interview with Reds All-Star Chase Burns. He scrolled through the video feed, found the grip and tried it because, “I figured he’s got a pretty good slider, similar heater shape.”

The next day Grable threw it during a touch-and-feel bullpen session. He then took the mound that night and “punched [out] three,” he said, with what would become his new slider.

“He’s been able to dominate the game with those two pitches,” Cooper said.

The domination brought him to a showcase and a seventh-inning face-off with star Brewers prospect Luis Peña, who flied out on the second pitch and first slider he saw.

Grable’s takeaway?

“It’s pretty fun to pitch in a big league stadium.”

LSU Baseball’s emotional leader since 2023, Gavin Guidry, was taken at #480 over by the New York Mets in the 16th round.

Guidry’s LSU career was full of success, but there were also some speedbumps along the way that tested his resolve.

After getting to Baton Rouge as one of the top-ranked shortstops in 2023, the Barbe product played sparingly behind Jordan Thompson in the infield. Halfway through the season, the Tigers pitching staff suffered two season-ending injuries to Chase Shores and Garrett Edwards, putting them in a tough spot. Guidry transitioned to the mound and hit the ground running. He became one of the most important pieces of that bullpen, even recording the final out of the 2023 National Championship.

He followed that up with a solid sophomore campaign in 2024, but the troubles began in 2025. After being scratched from an early season midweek start, he was said to be week-to-week with a back injury. He attempted to work his way back, but he continued to hit roadblocks and was eventually shut down for the year. The veteran then became an extra coach, often seen mentoring younger players on the team. Even from the dugout, Guidry was instrumental in Jay Johnson’s team winning their second title in three years.

His return on Opening Day of the 2026 was electric. He jogged out from the bullpen to a massive ovation from the Alex Box crowd and picked up right where he left off, striking out hitter after hitter with his “hammer” of a breaking ball. As the season went on, Guidry seemed to wear down and his performance slipped. He still has eligibility, but he said following the season that he was hoping to begin his professional career. He considered 2026 a “bonus year”, as he had hoped to move on after 2025 before he got hurt.

Guidry will go down as one of the most important players of the Jay Johnson era. At least the beginning of it. He stepped up time-and-time again and will almost surely head to the MLB with a lot to be proud of.

In three seasons for the Tigers, Guidry finished with a 10-3 record. He pitched 96.2 innings and had a 4.66 ERA. That number is only inflated by his late season struggles this past year. In his first two seasons, his ERAs were 3.77 and 2.59, respectively. He struck out 137 hitters in three years.

The New York Mets are getting a bulldog, who’s as competitive as they come.

Blaze Alexander suffered a fractured left hand after he was hit by a pitch in the Orioles’ 8-2 win over the Royals, setting off a benches-clearing incident. 

No punches were thrown, but the third baseman ended up with a non-displaced fracture in his left hand, Orioles manager Craig Albernaz told reporters after the game. The Orioles skipper called the injury a “gut punch.” 

Royals reliever Lucas Erceg missed way outside the strike zone with a 1-2 pitch in the bottom of the seventh inning, which resulted in Alexander being hit. 

Alexander was visibly upset and turned to jaw at Erceg, and the Orioles staff quickly came out to restrain him from escalating the situation further. 

The Royals and Orioles benches did empty out, but tensions cooled down shortly after as both teams retreated to their dugouts. 

After the game, Erceg told reporters that he did not hit Alexander intentionally. 

“There’s no ill intent. That’s baseball,” Erceg said. “I mean, guys are going to get hit, and you have to, I guess, kind of understand the situation. I understand why he’s mad. Obviously, you don’t ever want to get hit, especially in the hand. So sorry about that.”

The injury is a tough break for the Orioles with Alexander batting .312 at the moment and Baltimore riding a four-game winning streak into the MLB All-Star break. 

Neither club has been doing particularly well this season, with both the Orioles and Royals sitting near the bottom of the standings in their respective divisions. 

The Orioles are fourth in the AL East and 11.5 games back of the first-place Rays. 

The Royals find themselves in the basement of the AL Central and 13 games back of the first-place White Sox. 

Kansas City is also 21 games under .500 heading into the All-Star break.

After a season that left much to be desired for Kentucky Baseball, and primarily the pitching staff, all eyes were focused on the 2026 MLB Draft to see what would happen with Grayson Willoughby.

The star recruit has now decided to withdraw from the MLB Draft and head to Lexington for his collegiate career, UK has announced.

Now that the news of the coveted right-handed pitcher heading to Kentucky for his college baseball career is official, he will have to spend two seasons in school before being eligible for the 2028 MLB Draft.

By way of Trinity High School (Louisville, Ky), the 6-foot-2, 195-pound Willoughby has been committed to Kentucky since August of 2024. Since then, Willoughby has had quite a high school career: Back-to-back state championships with his Trinity Shamrocks, being named Mr. Baseball, and being named the 2026 MaxPreps National Player of the Year.

His advanced mid-80s changeup is considered his best secondary pitch, while his slider continues to develop into another quality offering.

What separates Willoughby is his command. He repeats a clean three-quarters delivery, consistently throws strikes, and already shows the ability to locate all three pitches. Scouts also believe there is additional velocity to come as he continues to add strength.

Although Willoughby starred as a two-way player at Trinity, his future is on the mound. He capped his senior season by throwing a one-hit shutout in the Kentucky state championship game, helping Trinity secure another state title.

Willoughby is also ranked No. 31 in his class in Perfect Game rankings. On their site, they described him as “Polished starter package with three quality pitches including a 92-96 mph fastball, slider and changeup, dominated at PG national.”

This is a massive pickup for the Bat Cats, especially since they were in dire need of more pitching.

The back half of the MLB Draft is where we leave the bonus pool minimums behind. Some players might sign for pretty decent amounts, but it’s the wild west and most will not demand much compensation to fill the Rays org needs.

Out of their 21 selections overall, the Rays took 17 pitchers, and that includes every pick in rounds 11-20. Here’s how it shook out.

RHP Logan Georges (HS, CA) – 11/323

The star of the show for picks 11-20, he’ll be in line to demand whatever is left of the Rays bonus pool. He’s 6-foot-5.

While Georges has long had size and arm strength, his path to being a high-level Draft prospect was anything but certain. As a sophomore at Clovis High School outside of Fresno, California, Georges blew out his elbow and required Tommy John surgery. He returned to the mound in time for league play as a junior in 2025, then put the injury further in his rearview by throwing at a myriad of summer showcase events, including Major League Baseball’s All-American Game, Perfect Game National and the Area Code Games. While Georges’ senior year has had some ups and downs, he still brings an ideal 6-foot-5 pitching frame to the mound with the chance to have a quality three-pitch mix with excellent metrics under the surface. He’ll throw his fastball in the 92-96 mph range; it can have carry and ride, and he also has a two-seamer with good sink. He’ll flash a plus low-80s slider that can miss bats, giving him an effective sinker-sweeper combination at times. He’s shown glimpses of a very solid 84-85 mph changeup with sink and fade he’ll throw to hitters on both sides of the plate. Georges hasn’t always thrown quality strikes this spring, and at times, things can snowball for him on the mound. He’ll also be 19 come Draft time, which might ding him in some teams’ models. Even so, his stuff and the data behind it could be enough to get teams interested in signing him away from his commitment to Texas Christian.

[MLB Pipeline – 126]

[…] high-spin pitch mix and a chance for multiple plus offerings. His fastball is regularly in the low 90s and has been up to 94-95 mph […] low-80s slider, which has impressive late biting action and easy plus potential. […] solid mid-80s changeup. […] a well-rounded starter profile.

[Baseball America – 288]

RHP Cole Stokes (4YR JR, Florida State) – 12/353

Surprisingly, Stokes is only the third Seminole drafted by the Rays in franchise history.

Stokes is a stuff monster with a pair of pitches that could be plus or better, but his command and pitchability hold him back. Stokes is a California native who spent two seasons with Oregon, then transferred to Florida State for the 2026 season. […] gnarly 22.7% walk rate. Listed at 6-foot-6, 230 pounds, Stokes has a big league frame and a quick, whippy arm that he delivers from a low slot. He throws a turbo sinker that’s consistently in the upper 90s and has touched 97. He pairs the fastball with a mid-80s sweeper with tons of gloveside break. Both pitches are swing-and-miss offerings, but he also has a career walk rate hovering around 20%, which would be unplayable in pro ball. If he can figure out a way to throw the ball over the plate more frequently, he could be a useful weapon in a major league pen.

[Baseball America – 385]

RHP Steven Gonzalez (HS, FL) – 13/383

A prep arm with extension that jumped his fastball into the low 90’s with consistency this season. He’s a Mater Academy HS (Hialeah Gardens in Miami, FL) graduate committed to FSU.

Ben’s take: 3/4 slot, easy mechanics with a fastball in the low 90s and feel for a couple breaking balls. 6’3 frame, projectable.

RHP Mason Bixby (4YR JR, Oklahoma) – 14/413

6′ 7″ 239lbs and 100 mph fastball. What more do you want?

RHP Ashton “Amp” Phillips (4YR JR, South Carolina) – 15/443

Ashton Michael Phillips, a.k.a. Amp, is a 6-foot-1 fireballer with a kick change.

[…] high-energy pitcher whose competitiveness is evident every time he takes the mound. He started his career at Spartanburg Methodist, but missed most of the 2024 season with a back injury, then transferred to South Carolina Upstate in 2025 and South Carolina in 2026, where he added plenty of volume as a starter […] reliable strike-thrower, but is a bit undersized with a compact, slight frame. Phillips averages 92-93 mph and touches 95-96 with his fastball. He has solid command of his fringe-average, slurvy slider in the upper 70s and low 80s, and will mix in a shorter, mid-80s cutter. Phillips has thrown a mid-80s changeup more often in 2026. While he pitched as a starter for two seasons, his size and fringy strikes could allow him to profile better as a reliever in pro ball.

[Baseball America – 342]

RHP Alex Philpott (4YR JR, South Carolina) – 16/473

An intra-SEC transfer from Florida to USC, going from bullpen to starter for his new school, he’s 6′ 6″.

He missed time early in the season with elbow discomfort, but returned to the mound in mid March and posted a 6.51 ERA over 16 appearances and 27.2 innings. […] up to 98 mph in the past with his fastball, though he mostly threw it in the 93-95 mph range in 2026. He has an assortment of solid secondaries, including an upper-80s changeup and cutter, a low-80s slider and a slower curveball in the upper 70s. He’s a below-average strike-thrower, and probably a reliever because of that, but there’s a lot in the tank to work with if a team can help him execute a bit more consistently.

[Baseball America – 463]

RHP McCarty English (4YR JR, Southern Mississippi) – 17/503

English put himself out there this morning hoping for a summer transfer away from USM, but found himself as draft selection instead. His video won’t embed for now, so here’s the link: https://twitter.com/MccartyEnglish/status/2062571192356139365

LHP Nate Smithburg (4YR SR, Oklahoma) – 18/533

A submarine southpaw, standing 6′ 2″ 257lbs, and profiled by Baseball America in “5 Deep Cape Cod League Sleepers With 2026 MLB Draft Upside”:

Fresh off helping Oklahoma win a national championship […] release height of roughly four feet. He generates above-average extension for a pitcher with his delivery and separates himself from most of his demographic with unusual velocity. His fastball sat 90-91 mph and touched 94 with massive armside run, high spin efficiency and movement that creates difficult looks for hitters on both sides of the plate. The pitch dives away from righthanders and runs in on the hands of lefties, generating five whiffs Thursday.

Smithburg complements his fastball with a low-80s cutter […], a mid-80s changeup with negative vertical break and armside run, and an upper-70s-to-low-80s sweeping slider that glides across the plate because of his extreme release point.

Though his high-major track record is limited, Smithburg is unusual even among submarine relievers because of his velocity, extension and assortment of distinct movement profiles. It is a clear bullpen projection, but one with enough deception and bat-missing ability to warrant consideration late in the draft.

[Baseball America]

RHP David Horn Jr. (4YR SR, Middle Tennessee State) – 19/563

6′ 5″ 235lbs, with velo that played up in the Draft League.

RHP Ivan Sabater (HS, FL) – 20/593

This West Broward HS graduate has already reached 95 mh and top spin rates, and stands to add more as a professional.