Miami Hurricanes Pitchers Make MLB’s Top 200 Draft Prospects
It’s mid-July, which means that the Miami Hurricanes baseball team is preparing to hear some of their players’ names called during the Major League Baseball (MLB) Draft.
Miami has had a player selected in every single MLB Draft since 1974, nearly a 50-year streak, and will almost certainly see more Canes taken in this year’s edition.
Three Hurricanes in particular have caught the eyes of scouts across the major leagues, a trio of pitchers. The highest ranked Cane on MLB.com’s Top 200 list is left-handed pitcher Carson Palmquist, who comes in at 86th overall.
The 6’3'' lefty has a lower arm slot delivery that many experts would classify as “funky”, adding some deception to his mid-nineties fastball and making his hard breaking slider a nightmare for lefties at the plate. He’s added a changeup to his arsenal and could pan out as a starter one day, but certainly has the goods to be a major league reliever or closer fairly quickly.
A pair of righties, Andrew Walters (130th) and Alex McFarlane (167th), follow Palmquist up on the list for Miami and while they may be a bit further down the rankings, there’s almost no drop off in talent when it comes to these two mound managers.
Walters is a 6’4” flamethrower with a fastball consistently hitting 99 mph. It’s just about the only pitch that the right-hander throws but it’s also just about as effective as any single pitch in college baseball, causing a whiff rate north of 40%.
For Walters, the power is certainly there, and he’s produced consistently for Miami. He’ll need to add more pitches to his repertoire but should be a nice project for some club in the first few rounds.
McFarlane stands 6’4” as well, giving him the prototypical build for a big-league pitcher. His fastball has clipped 99 mph, but not as frequently as Walters’. McFarlane’s money pitch, really, is his slider, which he can get up to 90 mph at times. His pitching mechanics are a bit cluttered and could use some reworking if he’s going to be a starter in the majors. If not, his fastball-slider combo could carry him to a bullpen in the big leagues.
All three of these Hurricanes will hear their names called at some point during this draft, and likely sooner than later. Miami’s MLB Draft tradition should be in safe hands when the event kicks off on Sunday, July 19th in the middle of the MLB All-Star Week festivities.
AllHurricanes.com is your home for all things Miami Hurricanes football, recruiting, basketball and other athletics, all the time. Follow along on social media at @AllHurricanes on Twitter and All Hurricanes on Facebook for round-the-clock news and analysis.