As we dive deeper into the college baseball season, some common names are beginning to buoy their way to the surface as prime performers. It’s only been six weeks. The road is long and winding ahead. Much can change. And it will. Conference has begun. It’s go time. Week six provided a few familiar names, and a few less-so to keep an eye on moving forward…
Stock Rising…
PITCHERS
JACK LEITER, RHP, VANDERBILT
7 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 2 BB, 10 K
Another week, another sterling performance by Jack Leiter. It’s reaching record-breaking status these days. Leiter did virtually whatever he wanted with Missouri all day. It looked like another no-hitter was on the way, but Head Coach Tim Corbin pulled Leiter before his pitch count got too high.
Leiter has all but proven he’s one of the premier arms in this class. The fastball is a 70-offering and it’s become his good morning, good afternoon and goodnight in games. What he’s doing in the SEC really can’t be understated. Scouts want to see Leiter develop one of his secondaries into a plus pitch; something he can get hitters to swing and miss on consistently outside of the fastball. If he does that, he may end up having a leg up in the race for the no. 1 pick.
Leiter is now 6-0 for the season with 59 punch outs in just 36 innings. He does have 13 walks on the season, but even that part of his game has been improving has the season has progressed. He’s allowed just one earned run all season to the tune of a 0.25 ERA.
Kevin Abel, RHP, Oregon State
6 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 7 K
It’s been an up-and-down year for Kevin Abel so far this season, but he was absolutely dominant on Friday night against the Washington Huskies. In 6 innings, Abel didn’t allow a hit, though he did issue three free passes; his bugaboo all season.
Scouts like the quality of Abel’s fastball quite a bit despite it usually sitting 88-91. It’s got a good bit of giddy up on the tail end of it, and it was his put away pitch on Friday night. Abel has a changeup that’s been a true 70-grade cambio at times this season, as well as a curveball that can be plus when it’s on.
In 30.2 innings this season, Abel has 48 punch outs, a really significant figure. What’s holding his profile back is the 17 walks and 10 hit-by-pitch batters. That’s 27 free trips to first base in almost as many as innings. That needs to be cleaned up. To his credit, Abel has only allowed 18 base hits, so those runners aren’t scoring a lot of the time. The stuff is there to get popped in the top two rounds, but Abel will need to round into form to get popped in that range.
Austin Krob, LHP, TCU
7 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 2 BB, 9 K
Krob has very quietly been one of the best pitchers in the country this season and evaluators have taken notice, flocking their scouts out to Fort Worth with regularity. He took his arsenal to the chin of Baylor batters and walked away with his third win of the year.
At 6-foot-3, 205-pounds, Krob already very much looks the part. Coming from the left side, Krob usually brings 91-94 to the plate with his fastball, touching 95 this season. He’s got a plus high-spin, wipeout slider with fantastic depth that has proven to be a nightmare on lefty bats. The changeup is usually average, but has had nights where it’s flashed a bit louder.
Over six starts, Krob has 32.2 innings logged and has struck out 38 hitters. He’s likely never going to be a wins fantasy baseball championships, but he does project to start at the next level. He’s issued 13 walks on the year, a figure that could use to improvement as the year winds on. Given the stuff and the performances thus far, plus the strong velocity from the left side, Krob has a decent chance of being popped in the top 100 picks this July.
Other Notables: Chayce McDermott (Ball State), Brannon Jordan (South Carolina), Patrick Monteverde (Texas Tech), Nicholas Sinacola (Maine), Cade Povich, (Nebraska), Kumar Rocker (Vanderbilt), Gavin Williams (ECU), Dylan Smith (Alabama), Chase Silseth (Arizona), Ryan Cusick (Wake Forest), Russell Smith (TCU), Christian Peters (Portland), Andrew Abbott (Virginia), Justin Fall (Arizona State)
HITTERS
Peyton Wilson, UT, Alabama
11 FOR 19 (.580/.600/1.105) 2 HR, 2 2B, 3B, 4 RBI, 3 SB, 2 K
Wilson is a reasonably under-the-radar prospect, but I’d imagine that won’t be the case by July. He’s a do-it-all Swiss Army Knife for the Crimson Tide and he put every single one of his tools on display this weekend against Ole Miss.
What Wilson lacks in pure tools, he more than makes up for in versatility. He can play infield. He can play outfield. He’s even done a fair amount of catching at Alabama. His carrying tool will be his ability to hit. Wilson has an all-fields approach with a surprising amount of pop for his 5-foot-11 frame.
In a year where college hitters are scuffling, Wilson has stood out. He’s batting .343 with seven homers and seven stolen bases. He has as many walks (13) as he does strikeouts (13) and is running a K-rate close to 12-percent. Wilson is exactly the type of player who gets popped in rounds 2-4 and plays a very, very long time.
Colton Cowser, OF, Sam Houston State
9 FOR 16 (.500/.583/1.400) 2 HR, 2B, 10 RBI, 2 BB, 1 SB, 3 K
After a sluggish start to his year, Cowser has really turned things on of late and that’s culminated to his appearance in the stock watch. Cowser had it going this week against UTSA, doing a little bit of everything on the field.
Cowser is a polarizing prospect for evaluators. He’s a bit of a tweener outfielder. On one hand, he may be too big to stick in centerfield. On the other, if you move him to a corner you’d like to see more game power. As it stands, Cowser projects an above average hitter with 45+ game power, certainly more if he leans into that archetype.
After beginning the season just 1 for his first 11 at-bats, Cowser has put those performances in the past and has his average up to a robust .342 clip on the year. His 26.3% k-rate does have some teams worried about his offensive impact at the next level, but there’s enough of a projectable package here where Cowser could find himself popped on day on come July.
Matt Goodheart, UT, Arkansas
8 FOR 18 (.421/.421/.895), 4 HR, 6 RBI, 1 BB, 6 K
Ah yes, Matt Goodheart. Old reliable. What Goodheart lacks in a defensive role he more than makes up for with big, clutch hits and professionalism at the plate. He let it rip this weekend against a really talented staff of Mississippi State arms.
Goodheart’s biggest knock is scouts don’t know where he’ll be able to play defensively. Because of a previous arm injury, Goodheart really can’t throw. He’s a below-average-to-fringy runner too. But at just 6-feet, 185 pounds, he doesn’t fit the mold of a prototypical first baseman either. The hit tool is pretty good, and the power might be just enough get him to the big leagues.
Goodheart finds his average at .290 on the year with seven homers. He’s been the designated hitter for Arkansas most weekends, and it figures to stay that way the rest of the way. He’s likely a name to watch for in the 8-12 round range, and because of his age, might save a team some money. That said, don’t bet against this kid.
Other Notables: Chase Keng (UTSA), Christian Franklin (Arkansas), Nathan Hickey (Florida), Dom Keegan (Vanderbilt), Ryan Hernandez (Houston), Wes Clarke (South Carolina), Greffin Merritt (Cincinnati), Tyler Hardman (Oklahoma), Tim Elko (Ole Miss), Shane McGuire (San Diego), Brandon Boissiere (Arizona)