Week 5. Conference play. It’s go time, baby. Conference play welcomes in the loudest, most challenging time of the year for big-conference college performers. We’re done with guys beating up on lesser competition. It’s time for the cream to rise to the top. These guys made quite the first impression.
LHP Cooper Hjerpe, Oregon State
It obviously helps when your offense can score three touchdowns during your outing. Just ask Cooper Hjerpe, who got twenty-one runs of support as he diced up a pretty talented Arizona State team this past weekend. It was his longest outing of the year so far, throwing seven shutout innings while allowing just one hit, walking two, and striking out twelve. In a college pitching class that has been roughed up by injuries, Hjerpe has been a bright spot, pitching to the tune of a 1.88 ERA across 28.2 innings, co-leading the Pac-12 in strikeouts with 44, all while walking just nine and allowing eighteen hits. It’s a very deceptive, low-slot delivery with a low-90’s fastball, incredibly sweepy slider, and a solid change-up that produces a pretty tantalizing arsenal for teams. As long as he stays healthy, it would not be shocking to see Hjerpe sneak his way into the back end of the first round come July.
RHP Jonathan Cannon, Georgia
Welcoming the defending champions into your ballpark to a rude awakening is what Jonathan Cannon did on Friday, shutting out the Bulldogs across eight innings in his best start of the season. Along the way, he struck out nine and allowed just three hits, walking none for the fourth time this season. He was draft eligible last year as a sophomore, but returned to campus and has made strides. He’s struck out 37 batters across 34.1 innings and has walked just one batter in that span. He’s got a heavy sinking fastball that’s been in the mid-90’s with a very solid slider and good change-up, mixing in a cutter at times. He won’t be the strikeout pitcher at the next level, but he’s proving a lot and could be a hot commodity somewhere in the second-to-third round.
LHP Hunter Barco, Florida
Much like Hjerpe, Barco has been a revelation this year. A big name in the 2019 draft class, Barco has been lights out so far this year and that continued in an absolute drubbing of a talented Alabama team, allowing just one run on four hits in eight innings while striking out ten. It’s his third straight walk-less start and he’s boasting a very impressive 44:2 K:BB ratio across five starts for the Florida Gators. He’s been consistently in the low-90’s and touching mid-90’s, carrying that velocity deep into starts in the process. The slider has looked noticeably sharper this year and he’s still got a very good splitter with excellent command. He’s solidified himself as a Day 1 selection as of now and he could very well sneak into the first round if he keeps this up.
OF Dylan Beavers, California
Dylan Beavers has enamored scouts for the past year with a solid hit tool and impressive raw power, hitting 17 bombs in the 2021 season. This week, Beavers recorded a hit in every game, going 6-17 with a triple and two home runs, all while striking out just once across the four games. The marquee moment came in game two against a ranked USC team, blasting an 80 MPH change-up in the top of the ninth off the scoreboard in right field to take the lead. He’s done a good job limiting the strikeouts so far this year, as well as racking up a healthy amount of walks with a near equal strikeout-to-walk ratio. He’s been comped to a Christian Yelich-esque player by scouts and it’s hard to believe he won’t be a first round pick come July, making him the first player out of California in the first round since Andrew Vaughn and Korey Lee both went in 2019.
INF Andrew Jenkins, Georgia Tech
Georgia Tech infielder Andrew Jenkins was a bright spot in a tough week, going 8-17 with two instances of two home runs games while striking out just three times, which has been a bit of an issue for Jenkins so far this season. He utilized all fields with the power and showcased solid bat-to-ball skills, proving to be turning into more of a hitter in his draft eligible season. It’s a well-rounded profile with solid zone recognition skills and exit velocities, though the main thing is where he’ll play. He’s mainly been a first baseman and designated hitter for Georgia Tech so far, being blocked by Drew Compton and Kevin Parada from third base and catcher, respectively. He was one of the newest additions to our draft rankings and as of now, he’s slashing .362/.443/.613 across twenty games played.
OF Alec Sayre, Wright State
Wright State has done a very good job at producing quality bats over the past few years, most notably Sean Murphy and Tyler Black. Alec Sayre is one of the leaders on that squad this year, and this was his second straight seven hit week of the season. He’s got very solid bat-to-ball skills and while he started the year off rough in terms of strikeouts, he’s done a very good job limiting those since the beginning of the month, striking out just three times. There’s some thump in the bat as well, as he recorded four doubles and a home run this week and has shown off average power in his bat prior. He’s one to keep an eye on if he continues to heat up, as he could very well rise up draft boards if this continues.