Eyewitness Accounts: June 5, 2014

With a plethora of highly ranked team officials in attendance, the 17-year-old UCLA commit wowed the audience with strong command of his lethal four-pitch arsenal and pitchability beyond his years. The outing had me blown away and left me believing he is the most talented player in this year's draft class.

He began this outing as a two-pitch pitcher, using his vicious fastball and curveball combination before mixing in a changeup and cutter, ultimately working backward before exiting in the midst of a no-hitter (passed ball on a strikeout) once he hit his low pitch count limit. He can get over any of his secondary offerings for quality strikes, and double down on them, then freeze hitters by running a mid-90s fastball in on their hands. This kind of aptitude and understanding of pitching is an excellent quality for anyone to have, but it makes hitting against him a daunting task.

He won't struggle against the high school hitters he is currently facing, but he would be getting out minor-league hitters right now. In regards to the arsenal, it consists of a potential plus-plus fastball-curveball combination, 60-grade changeup, and a cutter to mix in. All of this is coming out of the left hand of an player with a 6-foot-4 body to dream on and a clean delivery that will allow for at least plus command in the future. To round it off, the player's shown great makeup and mound presence throughout his time in the spotlight.

The player is a small right-handed pitcher without an arsenal strong enough to overcome his physical limitations and below-average command profile. In this outing, he struggled to throw strikes, walking eight batters in total. The arm works well and is quick, but is more arm acceleration than arm strength.

To get to his best offering, a mid-80s breaking ball, he needs to fight his over-the-top arm slot in order to get around the ball and create the tilt he wants on the offering. Combine that with his inability to throw the fastball for strikes, and this is a reliever profile.

But even as a reliever, there is risk. I am betting on the fastball velocity going up in short bursts where he can let loose and have his arm speed take over. Also, that means I'm dreaming on his ability to be able to throw a mid-90s fastball for strikes. However, his fluid athleticism and inexperience on the mound allow for some projection in the control department given the time.

The player is a quick-working finesse southpaw with a great track record of performance as a college pitcher in a major conference. His strengths are his ability to keep hitters off balance due to his pitchability, his three-pitch arsenal and his ability to consistently throw strikes.

However, this player is a fringe major-league pitcher. The arsenal will not play in the bullpen and won't be able to turn over a lineup multiple times to profile in the starting rotation. The fastball plays up due to his control and command, but the changeup plays down as a result. His slider lacks bite or explosion when it crosses the plate. I fail to see any projection or true weapon in the arsenal that will allow this player to carve out a niche in the major leagues.

Southpaw with three useable pitches, two of which could be plus, with a mature and durable frame to take the ball every time through the rotation.

He currently relies heavily on his slider, which creates foolish swings from the opponents, but it plays up due to its complementing action off of his fastball. There is some feel for the changeup, but he didn't throw many of them, so it's unclear whether he can develop that into an average offering. The curveball could be pocketed for the time being, as it is just a show-me offering at this stage.

The player needs to improve his strength and conditioning, as he lost some velocity toward the end of this outing. A player development team will need to work with him on consistently finding his arm slot. He has enough athleticism and feel for his delivery to do so.

There is enough here to work with that I could see a potential No. 4 starter, but there is obvious risk. The fallback could be swingman pitcher who can be used in a variety of situations.

The player has started before, but I believe he is a reliever now and in the long term. As a starter, the arsenal also consisted of a curveball and split-changeup, but neither of the two offerings would earn an average or better grade. As a reliever, he is strictly using his fastball and slider.

The player's fastball command out of a high-maintenance delivery could be what keeps him from reaching his ceiling. If he can continue to squeeze every ounce out of his limited command profile, the player can become a high-leverage reliever.

To his credit, the command was as good as I have seen it. His elite combination of size and arm strength create for a heavy fastball that enters the zone on a steep downhill pane, making it difficult for opposing hitters to square up and lift rather than batter into the ground. He just needs to throw enough strikes for his fastball and potential plus slider to matter.