MLB Draft Report: Jamie Arnold impresses, Kyson Witherspoon, Dylan Vigue
Looking around the opening weekend for college baseball and draft-eligible players
This past weekend was the Opening Day for Division I baseball, with some of the best draft-eligible players getting their seasons underway.
With week one over and done with, here are some notes on some draft-eligible players from the first set of games played.
Jay Woolfolk, RHP UVA
I liked him in last year’s draft, but Jay Woolfolk decided to return to UVA this season and was the Opening Day starter, with Evan Blanco out for the weekend.
The fastball command looked really strong through the first couple of innings before it started to get spotty. He threw a fastball, slider, and change-up (that I think the broadcast called a splitter) and was able to throw each for strikes at points.
He also showed some great athleticism in hopping off first, grabbing the ball, and running it to first in a rare 1-unassisted play.
I think he’s still a reliever, but an interesting one in the later parts for the first 10 rounds.
Dylan Vigue, RHP Michigan
I hadn’t heard of this player until his game against UVA. He is a draft-eligible sophomore. He struck out only three in 5.1 innings, allowing two runs on six hits and a walk (he also hit the same batter three times).
It was a tough UVA lineup, and he worked through it by pitching to contact and getting several ground ball outs.
Vigue has a good frame (the team’s website lists him at 6’3”, 219) and throws from a lower arm slot, but he still tops out at 97 mph.
He also pitched well in the Cape Cod League, posting a 3.38 ERA with 26 strikeouts in 23.1 innings.
This is a video of a bullpen session he had in the offseason. There isn’t much extension, but his vertical release height gets as low as 5’3”. That low of a release slot while throwing mid-90s is going to be hard to hit.
It was my first look at him, but it won’t be the last time I check out one of his games.
Kade Anderson, LHP LSU
Another draft-eligible sophomore, Kade Anderson, is taking over as LSU's Friday night starter this year after starting last season as the midweek guy.
He throws mostly in the lower 90s but gets good ride on it, allowing it to play up in the zone. Anderson mixed that with a curveball and change-up last year but added a slider for the upcoming season.
The slider may be the pitch that cements him as a day-one pick in the upcoming draft.
Anderson showed great command inside the zone with the fastball and worked the slider perfectly along with it. He struck out eight while walking one over five shutout innings.
With a four-pitch mix, Anderson could emerge as one of the better college pitchers in this year’s draft.
Chris Arroyo, 1B/LHP UVA
Arroyo started his college career at Florida, where he only pitched, before transferring to DII Pasco-Hernando State, where he hit 19 home runs (batting .403) and struck out 63 in 62.2 innings pitched.
The UVA website lists him as 6’2” and 225 pounds, and with one look at Arroyo in the batter’s box, it looks legit.
It’s a powerful swing that gets every bit of his frame behind it. You could sense a home run was coming at some point, and then, after a couple of at-bats, he delivered a monster home run for Virginia.
There was a lot of hype over Arroyo entering the season, and you could easily see why.
Jamie Arnold, LHP Florida State
It took one game for me to be sold that this is the best college pitcher available in the draft. His release height is extremely low, under five feet, but he commands it well.
The fastball reached 95, with horizontal run and a very flat approach angle. His slider had a whiff rate of over 50% despite being in the zone nearly 60% of the time.
It's a very strong start to the season for Arnold and an easy example of why he’s the top college pitcher available currently.
Kyson Witherspoon, RHP Oklahoma
He started the first game of a doubleheader for Oklahoma, Cam Johnson the other. Witherspoon has a solid frame and some easy velocity. He dominated mainly with a fastball and slider through the first five innings before finally getting in a bit of trouble in the sixth.
That’s understandable for the first start of the season, as the stuff did seem to tail off as the game went on. He commanded his stuff inside the zone well, using all parts of it as well.
He struck out nine batters over 5+ innings, allowing two earned runs on two walks and two hits. Good first start to the season for Witherspoon, who got up to 90 pitches.
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Interesting DFA by the Cubs after signing Turner - Alex Canario
Maybe not a first rounder, but this kid has some skills, pitches for the present National Champion, Tennessee, throws from the Left Side, and is a lock for the All-Irish Team - Liam Shannon Doyle and if that's not enough, his Mother's name is Kathleen. He's from NH but pitched for Coastal Carolina as a Freshman, Mississippi as a Soph, and now Tennessee as a Junior. In the first two years he pitched in 39 games, 18 were starts, 112 innings pitched, striking out 153 and Walking only 41.