2015 Draft - Round 5 - LHP Thomas Szapucki - William T Dwyer H.S.- UPDATED 8:12 PM

Tanous said he has a power fastball and they believe his slider is a “wipeout” pitch. He added they were very excited to land him in the fifth. - 

BA #92 - Even in a strong class of Florida high school pitchers, Szapucki stands out as a lefthander with premium velocity and a quality breaking ball. His fastball has been up to 95 mph this spring and he holds his velocity well, continuing to throw 92-93 mph at the ends of games. His sharp slider has a chance to give him a second plus offering and had the best spin rate of any breaking ball at Perfect Game National, according to TrackMan data. He rarely used his changeup in high school, but when he threw it over the summer it showed the potential to become an average offering with more development. He works around the strike zone, but pitches with more control than command right now. Listed at 6-foot-2, 190 pounds, Szapucki has good size for a lefthander. But he throws from a low slot, leading some scouts to see him as a future reliever. Even with that concern, his premium stuff may be enough to entice a team to sign him away from his commitment to Florida.

Anytime a left-handed pitcher can crank his fastball up into the mid-90s, teams are going to take notice. There's no question Szupucki, a prep southpaw from William T. Dwyer High School near Palm Beach, Florida, was opening some eyes this spring. Szupucki, part of a solid University of Florida recruiting class, has been seen up to 95 mph this season. He'll sit comfortably in the 91-92 mph range and the fastball will have good life to it more often than not. Szapucki backs up the heater with a good slider that should be at least a Major League average offering. He doesn't throw a changeup much, though he's shown some feel for it. He has good deception in his delivery and goes right after hitters. That delivery is the one thing keeping the left-hander from being a more elite prospect. Szapucki throws with a lot of effort and scouts don't like his arm action, which leads to difficulty repeating his delivery. That said, this kind of arm strength from the left side typically goes early once the Draft comes along.