Saturday, I took a short trip over to Murfreesboro, TN to see if I could get a glimpse of MTSU’s starting pitchers Jaden Hamm and Eriq Swan. Hamm has emerged this year as a very reliable starter for MTSU. Swan has made the move to the bullpen after having struggles in his starting role stemming from control issues but still shows electric fastballs and a scary good amount of upside. During the trip, I was also lucky enough to see sophomore Parker Smith, who has been phenomenal for Rice this year and was very impressive Saturday.
Eriq Swan, MTSU
Eriq Swan comes in at #135 on our 2023 MLB draft list. Swan has had his battles with command this year creating a ton of walks and when not able to find the zone, having to feed middle/ middle fastballs over the plate that creates runs. The arm talent and fastball are undeniably electric. The delivery is simple, easy, and effortless. His upper half has great patience creating impressive hip-to-shoulder separation that allows him to use his long frame efficiently. The movement on the mound is so effortless that without a radar gun, you would think the fastball is 90-92 MPH. Not to say the fastball does not explode out of his hand, but this may be one of the easier triple-digit fastballs in this class.
Saturday, Swan was pounding the zone pumping 97-100 MPH fastballs. The fastball worked primarily North to South in the zone mainly living at the top of the zone and then worked down some for strikes at the knees. Swan’s 6’6 frame creates some serious tilt on the fastball down in the zone and the pure velocity paired with average ride on the pitch allows it to miss bats up. The slider has ridiculous swing-and-miss numbers on the year, but Saturday was used sparingly. His Slider worked from 86-91 MPH with one slider creating a whiff with the others creating some awkward half-swing foul balls. The one swing-and-miss the slider created showed above average sweep. With consistency, the breaking ball can be a future double-plus weapon pitch for the righty. Swan showed two changeups Saturday that showed average. The velocity at 90-91 MPH was enough difference to keep hitters off balance but did not show enough movement or deception to be considered a pitch he can depend on at the moment.
Swan went 2 innings with 3 K’s while only giving up one hit and no walks. It was refreshing to see Swan be able to attack hitters without having to take off the fastball to get the ball over the plate. Pure arm talent and projectability-wise, Swan is an MLB organizations dream. There are obvious control issues but there is a very high chance that a team grabs him fairly early based purely on the upside and the potential of him being a big-league closer producing 100+ MPH fastballs and a power slider.
Parker Smith, Rice
Smith is a 2024 draft-eligible RHP that has been by far the best arm for the Owls this year. He has 15 walks to his 65 strikeouts on the year, has only given up seven extra-base hits while posting a 1.89 ERA, and ranks #21 on DIGS. The only true complaint on Smith this year is the HBP column with 13 free passes via hit batters. You can see with the immense amount of run the fastball produces, how easy it may be for him to lose the ball arm side and run into some right-handed hitters.
Saturday the fastball worked 91-93 MPH, touching 94 MPH, and burst out of his hand from a quick arm action flashing plus armside run and ride ability that plays well into the top of the zone. The ASR is definitely something that can work in his favor as it already creates swings producing weak contact jam jobs and may in the future develop a devastating sinker/ slider combo if desired. The quick, late arm speed creates deception and allows the fastball to be perceived quicker, and allows his slider to create some ugly swings from hitters. The slider worked 79-82 with some flashes of showing above average sweep but mainly worked more tight spun late downward bite. Smith’s slider produced the most whiffs and could be a consistent above-average pitch with some refinement and consistency, but already proves to be an above-average pitch at the collegiate level. Smith also showcased a changeup that he showed an impressive feel for. He used the changeup on righties just as much as the SL and consistently bores in on righties. The velocity only worked down 6-9 MPH from the fastball, but the consistent fade and tumble that the pitch produced four swings and misses from righties as well induced weak contact.
Smith showed very well Saturday. He proved he has + feel/command of three pitches, can create weak contact as well as attack hitters for strikeouts. There is a uniqueness in the way he moves on the mound that is interesting and in my opinion, profiles as a long relief/closer with a sinker/slider combo with the ability to mix in change-ups.
Jaden Hamm, MTSU
Jaden Hamm started Saturday against Rice and seems to be cooling off after a hot start to the year. Hamm has improved his draft stock this year with his first four games on the year going 28 IP with limited walks and 36 strikeouts with minimal damage. The bump in velocity and flashes of plus off-speed has grabbed some attention.
Hamm’s fastball worked 90-94 MPH with some ability to show run and occasional cut when going glove side. The longer arm action works down and back with his upper body posture creating an over-the-top release point that allows the FB to have slight ride in the upper portion of the zone but does not create enough spin to miss bats up. The fastball seems to be a pretty generic fastball with fringe-average ride. Hamm’s off-speed seems to be where his money will be made. The curveball showed 75-79 MPH and is a true two-plane pitch that shows above-average depth and creates tons of swing and misses. Saturday it seemed like he did not have his usual feel for the pitch as he showed tendencies to miss armside and the pitch occasionally floated out of release. There were definitely flashes that the breaking ball could be a true weapon at the next level.
The change-up hung around 80-84 MPH and did not induce many swings and misses Saturday. It lacked fade/arm side movement and worked almost exclusively negative vertically. The pitch did tunnel well and seemed to have true command over the pitch as he stuck corners and created some front-foot swings, but the majority of the Rice hitters were able to spoil the pitch. Saturday it served mainly as a good mix pitch but over the year the change-up has been lights out for Hamm.
It was apparent Hamm did not have his best stuff Saturday, but he showed tendencies that gains interest from scouts. As of now, it seems he may be a heavy mix pitcher at the next level, utilizing the off-speed pitches more often than not unless he is able to create a better fastball shape or work corners more consistently. Either way, Hamm should go in this year’s draft and hopefully be drafted by a team that has a track record in pitch development to help him further develop his repertoire.