Today we’re taking a look at year-over-year arsenal changes for 25 of the top college pitchers in the 2025 MLB Draft class.
With tools like Synergy Sports, it’s easy to take a deeper look into how pitchers have changed this spring, whether that’s a new pitch, more velocity or a different approach.
Each pitcher is listed with a table that features their 2025 pitch mix usage and velocity for each pitch type, as well as year-to-year changes for both categories. Current BA draft rankings are included with each player in parenthesis.
Pitch labeling at the college level is less precise than what we’ve become accustomed to in the majors or minors. Because of that, there can be some noise between breaking balls, and we also don’t have four-seam fastballs separated from two-seam fastballs. Still, the exercise should allow us to see a general overview of how each pitcher is pitching this season and how it compares to what they were doing a year ago.
Jamie Arnold, LHP, Florida State (No. 1)
7 GS, 34.1 IP, 2.62 ERA, 34.0 K%, 9.2 BB%
| Pitch Type | Usage | Velocity |
| FB | 53% (-14) | 93.6 (-0.2) |
| SL | 36% (+8) | 84.7 (+0.9) |
| CH | 10% (+6) | 85.6 (-0.8) |
| CT | 1% (+1) | 87.3 ( – ) |
Arnold has given up a decent chunk of fastball usage this season. After throwing his heater 67% of the time in 2024, he’s throwing it just 53% of the time this spring. The gains have gone to his slider (+8), which he is throwing a tick harder than a year ago, and changeup (+6 points), which he threw just 4% of the time in 2024. Arnold’s fastball velocity is similar year over year (-0.2 mph),but he has seen less miss (-8 points) and chase (-15 points) with the pitch overall. His control has backed up a tick, as well, with a strike rate that went from 68% in 2024 to 63% in 2025 (-5 points).
After dominating the first three weeks of his non-conference competition, Arnold has faced more challenges in his four weeks of ACC play. He owns a 3.93 ERA, 28.6% strikeout rate and 13.1% walk rate collectively against Boston College, Miami, Notre Dame and Wake Forest.
Tyler Bremner, RHP, UC Santa Barbara (No. 3)
8 GS, 41 IP, 3.73, 28.1 K%, 5.4 BB%
| Pitch Type | Usage | Velocity |
| FB | 45% (+1) | 95.1 (+0.1) |
| SL | 17% (-9) | 86.8 (+0.9) |
| CH | 37% (+8) | 83.9 (+0.6) |
Bremner’s ERA is up more than a run compared to his 2024 season total (2.54), though his pure stuff has been largely the same across the board. His peripherals are strong—a bit lighter than a year ago but not significantly so. Bremner has averaged 95.1 mph with his fastball on 45% usage. That’s nearly identical to a year ago, though he has traded some slider usage (-9 points) for more changeups (+8 points). Bremner is throwing his mid-80s changeup 37% of the time this spring, which is significantly more than any other pitcher I’ll mention today.
Batters are hitting just .159/.216/.232 against his changeup with a 45% miss rate and 33% chase rate. Against the slider, batters are hitting .333/.360/.542 with a 29% miss rate and 14% chase rate.
Liam Doyle, LHP, Tennessee (No. 16)
8 GS, 42.2 IP, 2.53 ERA, 48.5 K%, 8.4 BB%
| Pitch Type | Usage | Velocity |
| FB | 67% (+4) | 95.3 (+2.9) |
| SL | 16% (+1) | 83.4 (+1.8) |
| CB | 1% (+1) | 79.7 (+4.2) |
| CH | 11% (+4) | 86.2 (+6.5) |
| CT | 4% (-11) | 88 (+1.3) |
Doyle continues to lead all Division I arms with a 48.5% strikeout rate. He had a few tough outings to start the SEC slate, but rebounded nicely with an eight-strikeout shutout of Texas A&M last weekend. Doyle has added nearly three ticks of average fastball velocity (+2.9 mph) this spring and is now sitting 95.3 mph. The power hasn’t just gone towards the heater. He has also added more oomph to his slider (+1.8 mph), curveball (+4.2 mph) and cutter (+1.3 mph).
All of that power has helped him jump significantly in overall miss rate, going from 30% in 2024 to 42% in 2025 (+13 points), while also helping him push a career high in strikeout rate. After double-digit cutter usage in 2024, Doyle has cut that to just 4% this spring (-11 points) while upping his fastball (+4 points) and changeup (+4 points) usage.
Kyson Witherspoon, RHP, Oklahoma (No. 17)
8 GS, 45 IP, 2.40 ERA, 36.8 K%, 5.9 BB%
| Pitch Type | Usage | Velocity |
| FB | 47% (-11) | 96.4 (+1) |
| SL | 22% (-9) | 85.8 (+0.9) |
| CB | 10% (+10) | 80.9 ( – ) |
| CH | 5% (-2) | 88.8 (+0.7) |
| CT | 16% (+12) | 89.2 (-0.2) |
Witherspoon has one of the harder fastballs in the college class, and in 2024, he threw it nearly 60% of the time. He’s dialed back that fastball usage significantly (-11 points) this year and is throwing it just 47% of the time. The same is true of his slider usage. After throwing the pitch 31% of the time in 2024, it’s down to 22% in 2025 (-9 points).
In exchange, he’s upped the usage of his upper-80s cutter (+12 points) and brought out a new breaking ball shape: a low-80s curveball that he didn’t throw at all in 2024 but is now throwing 10% of the time. After being nearly a two-pitch pitcher a year ago, Witherspoon now has four legitimate offerings to show opposing batters on a consistent basis (plus a low-usage changeup that gets whiffs) . His overall miss rate is slightly up, but his chase rate has gone from 26% to 35%.
Patrick Forbes, RHP, Louisville (No. 18)
8 GS, 40.1 IP, 4.24 ERA, 39.4K%, 8.0 BB%
| Pitch Type | Usage | Velocity |
| FB | 69% (-8) | 95.3 (+1.4) |
| SL | 25% (+9) | 82.2 (+3.6) |
| CH | 2% (-3) | 88.2 (+0.8) |
| CT | 4% (+4) | 88.6 ( – ) |
A year ago, Forbes was largely a two-pitch pitcher with control questions. To a certain extent, he still has that profile today. However, his walk rate has taken a big step forward from 12.2% to 8.0%, and he’s added more power to both his fastball and slider.
In 2024, Forbes averaged 93.9 mph on his fastball and 78.6 mph on his slider. In 2025, he’s averaging 95.3 mph on the fastball (+1.4 mph) and 82.2 mph on the slider (+3.6 mph). While the slider has gained power, it has backed up in terms of strike rate (64% to 57%), miss rate (41% to 38%) and chase rate (34% to 24%). That said, hitters managed an OPS of .555 against the 2024 slider and have just a .491 OPS against the 2025 version.
Riley Quick, RHP, Alabama (No. 29)
7 GS, 26.1 IP, 3.42 ERA, 21.8 K%, 11.8 BB%
| Pitch Type | Usage | Velocity |
| FB | 58% (-6) | 96.6 (+2.2) |
| SL | 27% (-4) | 85.4 (+2.6) |
| CH | 14% (+12) | 88.3 (+4) |
| CT | 1% (+1) | 89.8 ( – ) |
Quick is one of four pitchers in today’s piece with a fastball velocity jump of at least 2 mph. It should be noted, however, that Quick’s data compares his 2023 season to 2025 season, as he made just one appearance in 2024. The result is a velo jump that’s a bit misleading compared to every other arm. Still, Quick has upped his overall strike rate (+5 points) and added a legitimate third pitch since the last time scouts saw him in a significant sample of innings.
In 2023, Quick was a two-pitch reliever who used his changeup just 2% of the time. So far through seven starts in 2025, he’s shown a legitimate upper-80s changeup that batters are hitting just .091/.286/.091 against. He’s throwing it 14% of the time overall and 22% of the time vs. lefthanded hitters, in particular.
Matt Scott, RHP, Stanford (No. 33)
8 GS, 37.1 IP, 5.30 ERA, 21.6 K%, 8.8 BB%
| Pitch Type | Usage | Velocity |
| FB | 38% (-24) | 92.6 (-1) |
| SL | 26% (-5) | 87.5 (+0.3) |
| CH | 15% (+9) | 82.7 (+0.9) |
| CT | 21% (+21) | 88.7 (-1.8) |
It’s been tough sledding for Scott this spring, and he’s currently on pace to have three straight seasons with an ERA north of 5.00. Scouts have noted that Scott has tinkered with his fastball shape this season. Going from a four-seam fastball to a two-seam could explain his 1 mph drop in velocity. Additionally, after not using a cutter in 2024, he has an upper-80s cutter that’s now a significant piece of his arsenal.
Through his first eight starts, the cutter has a 39% miss rate, which is the best swing-and-miss rate of any of his pitches this season. Opposing batters are hitting just .171/.237/.200 against it. Still, Scott’s strikeout rate is down from 28.9% to 21.6%, and he hasn’t seen a significant jump in ground balls to make up for it—though his walk rate is down a bit from 10.1% to 8.8%.
Kade Anderson, LHP, LSU (No. 40)
8 GS, 47.1 IP, 2.85 ERA, 39.7 K%, 6.3 BB%
| Pitch Type | Usage | Velocity |
| FB | 47% (-23) | 92.9 (+0.5) |
| SL | 27% (+25) | 85.4 (+4.6) |
| CB | 11% (-12) | 77.3 (-1) |
| CH | 14% (+9) | 82.8 (-2.3) |
| CT | 1% (+1) | 87.4 ( – ) |
Anderson moved from a reliever role in 2024 and has completely redefined himself as a starter in 2025 while pushing up draft boards as LSU’s Friday night ace. Scouting directors raved about his curveball entering the year. In 2024, he was largely a two-pitch pitcher who threw his fastball 70% of the time and his curveball—which generated a 50% miss rate—23% of the time.
Anderson this spring has cut both his fastball (-23 points) and curveball (-12 points) usage significantly and is now throwing a four-pitch mix with at least 10% usage for all offerings to keep hitters off-balance. The slider has been a key development. The pitch gives Anderson a much more consistent in-zone breaking ball that he can land for strikes more frequently than his hammer curve—though the slower breaking ball remains his better chase and whiff getter. Against righties, his changeup has generated a 50% miss rate and .472 opponent OPS.
Zach Root, LHP, Arkansas (No. 44)
8 GS, 44 IP, 3.48 ERA, 32.6 K%, 7.6 BB%
| Pitch Type | Usage | Velocity |
| FB | 34% (-13) | 92.6 (+0.5) |
| SL | 8% (+1) | 85.7 (+1.1) |
| CB | 21% (+9) | 80.5 (+1.5) |
| CH | 19% (-3) | 83.8 (+2.7) |
| CT | 18% (+7) | 85.8 (+0.1) |
Root entered the season throwing his fastball less than 50% of the time, and after a 13-point drop in usage this spring, he now throws it as infrequently (34%) as any top college pitcher in the class. He has upped his curveball and cutter usage this spring and added power to all his pitch types—marginally on the cutter and fastball, and more significantly on the slider, curveball and changeup.
Early in the season, Root was both throwing strikes and missing bats at a high rate. He had eight or more strikeouts in his first four games against Washington State, TCU, Charlotte and Portland. Against the SEC, he has continued to throw strikes at a solid clip, but he hasn’t hit the eight-strikeout mark in his first four tests in the conference.
Joseph Dzierwa, LHP, Michigan State (No. 50)
8 GS, 47.2 IP, 1.89 ERA, 30.6 K%, 8.3 BB%
| Pitch Type | Usage | Velocity |
| FB | 59% (+3) | 91.7 (+2.2) |
| SL | 11% (-5) | 79.6 (+0.4) |
| CB | 1% (+1) | 75 ( – ) |
| CH | 21% (-4) | 80.3 (+0.5) |
| CT | 7% (+7) | 83.9 ( – ) |
Dzierwa’s pitch mix is fairly similar year-over-year, especially so if many (or all) of his cutters being labeled this spring are actually just harder variants of the slider. The big change for Dzierwa is the 2.2 mph velocity jump with the fastball. After sitting at 89.5 mph and touching 93 in 2024, he is now averaging 91.7 mph and touching 95. That’s expanded the velo gap between his fastball and changeup, and his overall miss rate has jumped from 24% to 32% to go with a corresponding jump in his strikeout rate—25.2% in 2024 to 30.6% in 2025.
Dzierwa’s changeup has been so good this season that he actually has reverse platoon splits in left-on-right matchups where he is using the changeup at a 28% clip compared to just a 5% usage rate in left-on-left matchups.
Chase Shores, RHP, LSU (No. 51)
8 GS, 36.2 IP, 4.66 ERA, 23.5 K%, 10.8 BB%
| Pitch Type | Usage | Velocity |
| FB | 61% (-19) | 96.1 (-0.8) |
| SL | 33% (+27) | 85.7 (+5.4) |
| CH | 6% (-7) | 89 (-0.1) |
Like with Quick, we’re using 2023-to-2025 numbers for Shores, since he threw 18.1 innings in 2023 and missed the 2024 season with an arm injury. Now pitching in a full-time starter role, Shores has dialed back his fastball usage significantly while increasing the usage and power of his slider. Despite a 19-point drop in fastball usage, he’s still extremely fastball heavy with a 61% rate and a 96.1 mph average that is nearly a tick down as he works deeper in each outing.
Shores’ fastball has been more of a ground ball-inducing pitch (59% ground balls) than a swing-and-miss offering (19% miss rate). His harder mid-80s slider is missing bats at a strong 45% clip but is also infrequently in the strike zone. Shores is a two-pitch pitcher with the fastball and slider against righties, and he’ll expand his arsenal with a firm, upper-80s changeup against lefties.
Landon Beidelschies, LHP, Arkansas (No. 57)
7 GS (8 G), 35.1 IP, 3.82 ERA, 24.3 K%, 6.8 BB%
| Pitch Type | Usage | Velocity |
| FB | 43% (-13) | 92 (-0.5) |
| SL | 34% (+1) | 82.7 (-1.3) |
| CH | 13% (+5) | 85.3 (+1.2) |
| CT | 9% (+8) | 83.6 (-1.5) |
Beidelschies is just about maintaining his strikeout rate from a season ago while also improving on his walk rate. His overall strike rate is among the best of the pitchers we’ll discuss today at 67%. However, his drop in velocity across the board except for his changeup has led to less missed barrels and a better slash line against.
Beidelschies has lost a half tick on his fastball and simultaneously started throwing his changeup more than a mile per hour harder. While his fastball wasn’t a huge swing-and-miss pitch a year ago (16%) and isn’t now despite a jump in miss rate (20%), his changeup was. Beidelschies missed bats at a 46% clip on 8% usage in 2024. In 2025, he’s missed bats at just a 19% clip on 13% usage with the change. His fastball-changeup separation is now less than 7 mph on average.
Jared Spencer, LHP, Texas (No. 62)
8 GS, 45 IP, 3.20 ERA, 30.5 K%, 10.5 BB%
| Pitch Type | Usage | Velocity |
| FB | 44% (-21) | 95.1 (+2) |
| SL | 38% (+4) | 88.2 (+4.9) |
| CH | 16% (+15) | 84.6 (-0.4) |
Spencer has transformed himself as much as any pitcher I will write about today and has gone from unranked on our preseason top 200 to a second-round talent at No. 62 overall. He was almost entirely a two-pitch arm in 2024 with huge reliever questions thanks to his arsenal, the effort in his delivery and shaky control.
He’s been better nearly across the board in 2025. He added a legitimate third piece with a mid-80s changeup that has held hitters to just a .447 OPS. He’s added nearly five full ticks of velocity to his slider. His fastball velocity is up two ticks in a full-time starter role. He’s missing more bats across the board (29% miss to 37% miss), he’s throwing more strikes (59% strikes to 64% strikes) and he’s doing it all while playing better competition.
JD Thompson, LHP, Vanderbilt (No. 63)
8 GS, 41.2 IP, 4.10 ERA, 28.6 K%, 6.9 BB%
| Pitch Type | Usage | Velocity |
| FB | 55% (-4) | 91.8 (+0.2) |
| SL | 15% (+3) | 81.8 (+2.5) |
| CB | 14% (-2) | 77.1 (+1.3) |
| CH | 16% (+2) | 82.6 (+0.6) |
Thompson looks like a similar pitcher in 2025 to the one he was in 2024. His pitch usage looks much the same as a year ago, and though the swing-and-miss has been distributed a bit differently, he’s still getting strong miss rates overall. After getting a 36% miss rate with his fastball in 2024, that number has dropped to 24% so far in 2025. Batters still struggle to not chase it out of the zone, however, and do so at a 39% clip even still.
Thompson has gotten more swings and misses on his changeup, potentially because he’s been more competitive with his location on that pitch type. He’s also added more power to both his slider and curveball this season. While the miss rates on the breaking balls are similar year-over-year, the overall production against those pitches is greater: a .386 OPS allowed vs. spin in 2025 compared to an .842 OPS allowed vs. spin in 2024.
Anthony Eyanson, RHP, LSU (No. 78)
8 GS, 42.2 IP, 3.38 ERA, 37.1 K%, 8.4 BB%
| Pitch Type | Usage | Velocity |
| FB | 46% (+8) | 92.7 (+1.2) |
| SL | 32% (+7) | 82.9 (+2.9) |
| CB | 17% (-16) | 77.2 (+1.6) |
| CH | 6% (+3) | 83 (+2.5) |
Eyanson allowed an .822 OPS against his curveball in 2024—the highest mark against him of any pitch type. Naturally, this season he cut that usage dramatically and has thrown his fastball, slider and changeup more often. Moving from the Big West to the SEC after transferring, Eyanson has pitched well through eight starts with a strikeout rate that jumped from 26.4% to 37.1%.
He’s added more than a tick of velocity on all four of his pitches—including nearly a 3 mph jump in slider velo—and his overall jump in miss rate (+11 percentage points) is better than any pitcher mentioned here outside of Logan Lunceford and Liam Doyle. Eyanson entered the spring as a well-regarded strike-thrower, and he has given up a bit of strikes and walk rate with his jump in stuff, but the results make the trade seem well worth it.
Nate Snead, RHP, Tennessee (No. 82)
1 GS (10 G), 28 IP, 3.21 ERA, 20.3 K%, 8.5 BB%
| Pitch Type | Usage | Velocity |
| FB | 60% (-2) | 95.6 (-0.6) |
| SL | 2% (-15) | 84 (-2.8) |
| CB | 31% (+23) | 82 (+0.4) |
| CH | 1% (-3) | 92 (+2.4) |
| CT | 6% (-3) | 90.7 (+0.4) |
Snead started his first game of the season vs. Hofstra, but since that outing, he’s pitched as a multi-inning reliever. He has one single-inning appearance and five others with two or more innings under his belt.
Opposing batters are seeing less velocity from Snead this season, in part because his fastball is down slightly, but mostly because his primary breaking ball has gone from a mid-80s slider to a slower curveball in the low 80s. He threw the slider at a modest 17% clip in 2024, but has dialed back the usage of that pitch (and the rest of his arsenal to a lesser extent) in order to throw more curveballs.
That tradeoff has made Snead a much more ground ball-oriented pitcher. His slider was the better swing-and-miss pitch a year ago, but he drives a 50% groundball rate with his curve and a 67% groundball rate with his fastball. Using those two pitches 91% of the time has led to a career-best 63.3% groundball rate.
Zane Adams, LHP, Alabama (No. 92)
8 GS, 35.1 IP, 5.09 ERA, 22.4 K%, 8.7 BB%
| Pitch Type | Usage | Velocity |
| FB | 64% (+6) | 90.5 (+0.5) |
| SL | 3% (+3) | 85.8 ( – ) |
| CB | 12% (-18) | 77.4 (-0.6) |
| CH | 15% (+3) | 79.4 (-1.9) |
| CT | 7% (+7) | 85.4 ( – ) |
Adams was a three-pitch pitcher in 2024 when he relied on a fastball/curveball/changeup combination. He’s dialed back his curveball usage significantly, from a 30% clip in 2024 to just a 12% clip so far in 2025. That has been spread into all his other pitch categories, though the most notable is the addition of a slider/cutter in the mid 80s. The new breaking ball blends together, however, and could just be one pitch getting labeled as multiple. The curve has been a more consistent swing-and-miss offering for him, but the harder mid-80s breaking ball gives him a pitch he can land in the zone with a bit more consistency.
Adams’ strike rate, miss rate and chase rate are all up marginally year-over-year, and perhaps adding a bit more separation between his fastball and changeup has allowed the latter to play a bit better with increased miss and chase rates.
James Ellwanger, RHP, Dallas Baptist (No. 93)
8 GS, 25.2 IP, 4.56 ERA, 31.9 K%, 14.7 BB%
| Pitch Type | Usage | Velocity |
| FB | 54% (-7) | 95.5 (+1.1) |
| SL | 13% (-11) | 88.1 (+3.8) |
| CB | 31% (+17) | 81.6 (+0.9) |
| CT | 1% (+1) | 91 ( – ) |
Ellwanger has fewer innings under his belt than most of the pitchers being discussed here. He threw only 17.2 across eight starts in 2024 and has been handled extremely conservatively in his eight starts this season, throwing just 25.2 innings while not pitching deeper than 4.2 innings in a single start or throwing more than 73 pitches in a game. He’s continued to strike out plenty of batters while also walking more than his fair share.
Ellwanger’s fastball velocity is up more than a tick, but the pitch has gone from a 32% miss rate to an 18% miss rate. I’m guessing that’s mostly location-based, but without more pitch shape data, it would be hard to say with confidence. Ellwanger has flipped his breaking ball usage. A year ago, he preferred his mid-80s slider, and this year he’s favored a low-80s downer curveball. The curve has generated a higher miss rate in each season, but he has done a better job landing the curve for strikes in 2025.
Gabe Davis, RHP, Oklahoma State (No. 97)
3 GS (6 G), 14.2 IP, 5.52 ERA, 25.7 K%, 12.2 BB%
| Pitch Type | Usage | Velocity |
| FB | 59% (+2) | 94.8 (-0.4) |
| SL | 29% (+1) | 83.6 (-3.1) |
| CB | 5% (-1) | 79.2 (-2.9) |
| CH | 6% (-3) | 84.7 (+0.9) |
Davis has pitched infrequently this spring and has just 14.2 innings to his name across six games and three starts. He last pitched on March 23. When he’s been on the mound, his stuff has looked less crisp than a year ago, with his fastball, slider and curveball all down in velocity. His changeup, however, is up nearly a full tick. In terms of pitch usage, Davis has been similar to his 2024 version, and his strikeout and walk rates are in line with his career norms, as well.
Justin Lamkin, LHP, Texas A&M (No. 100)
8 GS, 46.2 IP, 3.66 ERA, 25.9 K%, 5.5 BB%
| Pitch Type | Usage | Velocity |
| FB | 55% (+5) | 91.6 (+0.4) |
| SL | 36% (+5) | 81.8 (+2.1) |
| CH | 9% (-9) | 82 (-0.4) |
Lamkin largely looks like the same three-pitch lefty he was a year ago, though he has made some modest progress across the board that’s led to career highs in ERA and walk rate, with slight upticks in his strike rate, miss rate and chase rate from 2024. He’s added a half tick on his fastball velocity and more than two full ticks on his slider while dialing back his changeup usage (-9 points) in order to throw the fastball and slider more frequently.
A year ago, Lamkin’s changeup was his best chase offering, but now the slider is both his best swing-and-miss pitch and the pitch batters chase out of the zone most frequently. He’s pounding the zone as much as any pitcher mentioned today and is the only one of the 25 with a strike rate north of 70% at 71% overall.
Logan Lunceford, RHP, Wake Forest (No. 103)
8 GS (9 G), 38.2 IP, 3.72 ERA, 42.1 K%, 11.3 BB%
| Pitch Type | Usage | Velocity |
| FB | 52% (-6) | 91 (-0.1) |
| SL | 12% (+6) | 80 (+5.8) |
| CB | 13% (+4) | 74.7 (+0.3) |
| CH | 22% (-4) | 79.1 (+2.4) |
Lunceford is the lightest-throwing righthander of the field of pitchers we are talking about today. He’s also been the pitcher who has added the most year-over-year misses. In 2024 with Missouri, Lunceford posted an 18.4% strikeout rate and had an overall miss rate of just 21%. He’s rocketed to a 42.1% strikeout rate in his first nine games in 2025, with a miss rate of 42% overall—and significant increases with each pitch type.
While Lunceford is still throwing a low-90s fastball, he now has two distinct breaking balls with nearly a 6 velocity increase to his slider, which now averages 80 mph. He uses the changeup and slider as his go-to secondaries vs. righties and his changeup and curveball as the go-to secondaries vs. lefties.
Marcus Phillips, RHP, Tennessee (No. 113)
8 GS, 40.1 IP, 2.45 ERA, 29.3 K%, 6.1 BB%
| Pitch Type | Usage | Velocity |
| FB | 59% (-10) | 96.1 (+0.9) |
| SL | 37% (+14) | 85.4 (-2.5) |
| CH | 4% (-2) | 91 (-0.7) |
Like many of the pitchers here who have moved from reliever-heavy roles to full-time starting gigs, Phillips has dialed down the usage of his fastball. Almost all that usage went towards his slider, which is down a few ticks in velocity but has been just as effective. The pitch has generated a 41% miss rate and held hitters to a .423 OPS—slightly better rates than a year ago.
He’s overwhelmingly pitching off the fastball and slider combination, saving his changeup almost entirely for lefties and scrapping a 90 mph cutter he threw a handful of times in 2024. Outside of any pitch developments, the biggest stride forward for Phillips has been his control. After walking 16.3% of batters in 2024, he has walked only 6.1% in 2025, and his year-over-year jump in strike rate (up eight percentage points) is better than any pitcher mentioned today.
Ben Jacobs, LHP, Arizona State (No. 115)
8 GS, 41.2 IP, 4.97 ERA, 30.7 K%, 11.4 BB%
| Pitch Type | Usage | Velocity |
| FB | 50% (-12) | 92.3 (+0.6) |
| SL | 24% (+8) | 81.8 (+0.4) |
| CB | 10% (-2) | 78.1 (-0.1) |
| CH | 12% (+3) | 82.5 (+1.5) |
| CT | 3% (+3) | 87.3 ( – ) |
Jacobs’ fastball has backed up a bit this spring despite seeing a half tick jump in velocity. He generated a 33% miss rate with the heater in 2024 compared to a 21% miss rate with the pitch in 2025. With that, he’s dialed down the fastball usage and instead thrown a slider, changeup and a new cutter more frequently.
Against lefties, Jacobs has used his fastball and slider about 90% of the time. Against righties, he has more of a kitchen sink approach. He uses the fastball about half the time and the curveball, changeup and slider between 13%-17% of the time. He will occasionally mix in the cutter 5% of the time.
Griffin Hugus, RHP, Miami (No. 127)
8 GS, 47 IP, 3.45 ERA, 29.5 K%, 7.3 BB%
| Pitch Type | Usage | Velocity |
| FB | 57% (-6) | 92.7 (+0.1) |
| SL | 34% (+13) | 85.7 (+5.5) |
| CB | 4% (-6) | 74.8 (-5.7) |
| CH | 4% (-1) | 85.2 (-0.2) |
Hugus has had an excellent first half of the college season in his first stint with Miami and is looking at career-bests in ERA, strikeout rate and walk rate. Cutting his walk rate from 13.6% to 7.3% is the number that might jump out immediately, but the separation of his slider and curveball into two distinct pitches has also led to strong results.
A year ago with Cincinnati, Hugus threw his slider and curveball in the same low-80s range where the pitches would blend together. He’s added power to the slider and taken some away from the curveball, which has given him two clearly distinct breaking balls. The slider has become a focal point of his attack and is his primary secondary against both lefties and righties.
Myles Patton, LHP, Texas A&M (No. 128)
8 GS, 43.2 IP, 3.92 ERA, 25.8 K%, 4.4 BB%
| Pitch Type | Usage | Velocity |
| FB | 60% (+3) | 89.3 (-0.1) |
| SL | 21% (-5) | 82.1 (+0.7) |
| CH | 15% (+2) | 77.9 (-6.8) |
| CT | 4% (+1) | 87.7 (+5.3) |
Patton has the softest fastball of any pitcher we are talking about today and is the only one to average less than 90 mph with his fastball. Despite the lack of velocity, he’s made a clean transition from Long Beach State to Texas A&M and the SEC thanks to great pitchability and command. He’s walked multiple batters in just one of his eight starts this season.
Patton has taken nearly seven miles per hour out of his changeup, which has potentially helped him generate more swings and misses with the pitch at the cost of more impact when hitters do connect: a .350 SLG in 2025 vs. a .225 SLG in 2024 against it. Patton’s ability to mix and match, minimize his walks and throw all four of his pitches for strikes have him steadily moving up boards.
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