Jordan Wicks
Mack's spin -
Wicks is the top lefty in a very weak lefty class.
Nothing really jumps out here but he gets the job done, Classic back end prospect and, frankly, if you knew on draft day who would be a successful back end starter, you would draft three of them.
Could go anywhere in the 11-20 range.
LHP Kansas State
2-15-21 - CBS - Top 50 -
26. Jordan Wicks, LHP, Kansas State
Sometimes there's a thin line between a compliment and an insult. Wicks' profile inspires a lot of those jump-ball comments. His delivery is so vanilla that it would be named "Generic 3" in The Show. His fastball can hit the mid-90s, but only on a hot gun. His breaking stuff is subpar. In spite of all that, he's posted a 2.85 ERA and a 3.73 strikeout-to-walk ratio for his collegiate career, including a stint in last year's Northwoods League. He does it with arguably the best changeup in the class. One scout described Wicks as a "less-athletic Marco Gonzales," which doesn't sound great … except Gonzales is a legit big-league starter who stands to bank $30 million by contract's end.
2-2-21 - Baseball America @BaseballAmerica
Jordan Wicks has the best changeup in college baseball, according to MLB scouting departments.
1-28-21 - kstatesports -
In a vote of the Big 12 head coaches, K-State left-handed pitcher Jordan Wicks was selected as the Big 12's Preseason Pitcher of the Year, the conference office announced Wednesday.
Wicks becomes the first Wildcat to earn the preseason award, as he and Texas pitcher Ty Madden shared the honor. Wicks was also a unanimous selection to the 2021 Preseason All-Big 12 Team.
1-26-21 - BA -
27. Jordan Wicks, LHP, Kansas State
Areas To Improve: Tick up FB velocity, improve breaking stuff, start full season
While Wicks does have a potential 70-grade offering (changeup) and strong history of strike-throwing (2.4 BB/9) at Kansas State, his fastball has mostly been in the 89-91 mph range. While the velocity bar is lower for lefthanders and several southpaws have gone in the first round with similar firepower in recent years, he would climb up boards if he came out this spring throwing harder. Additionally, scouts have commented that both his slider and curveball are more fringy offerings, so sharpening one—or both—of those pitches to give him a reliable weapon vs. lefthanded hitters would also help. Like every college arm on this list, starting for a full season to make up for lost time in 2020 is a must.
1-22-21 - fish stripes
LHP Jordan Wicks, Kansas State
27th-ranked draft prospect on Baseball America, 16th on MLB Pipeline, 29th on Prospects Live
The last prospect on the list is Kansas State left-handed pitcher Jordan Wicks. The third-year pitcher has had an impactful career for the Wildcats could be another top left-handed pitcher in the Marlins farm system.
In his two seasons at Kansas State, Wicks had made 19 starts and posted a 2.85 career ERA. He also had a 9-3 record with a 1.22 WHIP, 9.1 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9. Another thing Wicks has done well is prevent the long ball. In 110 innings pitched, Wicks has only allowed four home runs (0.3 HR/9) which were all in his freshman season.
At 6’3” 220 pounds, Wicks doesn’t have much more solid weight to add to is frame. However, Wicks already has a pretty good floor that features the best changeup in the 2021 Draft. His changeup gets tons of swing and miss and also forces a lot of weak contact due to how much depth Wicks gets on his it.
Wicks also has a 55-grade fastball that sits in the low 90s and tops out at 95 mph. His fastball does have a high spin rate but also has gets some riding action to it. Wicks also possess a slider and curveball but the curveball is still being developed. According to MLB Pipeline, some scouts have compared Wicks to 2020 L.A. Angels first-rounder Reid Detmers.
This could be another solid option for the Marlins. Wicks might not have ace potential but he definitely can be a good middle-of-the-rotation type arm and eat a lot of innings. His K/9 probably won’t be great at the next level but he will keep the ball in the yard. If Wicks is taken in the first round, he would be the first Kansas State player ever to be selected in the first round of the MLB Draft.
1-20-21 - D1 Baseball's top 100 College Prospects -
10 Jordan Wicks LHP P Kansas State Big 12
1-20-21 - prospect live -
#24
Atlanta Braves
Jordan Wicks
LHP, Kansas State
Considering Wicks polish and track record, it's hard to imagine a scenario where he falls out of the first round and the Braves would be happy to land another lauded arm. Wicks has seen a steady velocity increase throughout his Wildcat career, jumping from 89-91mph to 93-94mph this fall. The changeup might legitimately be double-plus with supreme conviction and command. There's a slider and curveball to round out the arsenal, with the slider the more advanced offering. If he can hold serve during the spring, he could be a popular name in a year where so many players are unproven.
1-18-21 - bpj -
Jordan Wicks had a notable 2020 and wants to carry that success into this spring.
He is a 6-foot-3, 220-pound left-handed pitcher who throws a four-seam fastball, two-seamer, changeup, slider and curveball from a three-quarters arm slot and clean and low-effort delivery.
His fastballs sit in the low-90s with high spin rates. While his fastballs are quality offerings, scouts rave about Wicks’ changeup.
Wicks throws the best changeup in the 2021 draft class. It’s an elite offering that he throws with conviction. The low-80s offering looks like a fastball out of his hand but features tumbling action that allows it to fall out of the strike zone. The breaking action on the pitch causes hitters to swing and miss or hit it for a ground ball.
1-14-21 - Baseball America
Jordan Wicks
Kansas State LHP
Ht: 6-3 | Wt: 220 | B-T: L-L
Commit/Drafted: Never Drafted
Age At Draft: 21.9
A solidly built, 6-foot-3, 220-pound lefthander, Wicks is cut from the same competitive cloth that scouts loved to see from Missouri lefthander TJ Sikkema (a supplemental first-rounder in 2019). While Wicks has a fastball that sits mostly in the 89-91 mph range and touches 93-94, he possesses one of the best changeups in the 2021 draft class. The pitch is routinely graded out as a plus-plus offering and he relies on it as any pitcher with a 70-grade secondary would. Wicks also has a slider and a curveball that are fringe-average at best and need more tightening and refinement. Wicks has a clean delivery and above-average control and has walked just 30 batters over 110.2 innings (2.4 per nine) with Kansas State, compared to a solid 9.1 per nine strikeout rate. Wicks also pitched in the Northwoods League this summer, where he posted a 0.45 ERA over four starts and 20 innings, with a 29-to-5 strikeout-to-walk ratio. College lefthanders with performance and strike throwing to back it up go well in the draft, and while Wicks isn’t a flamethrower, you can’t label him as a ‘vanilla stuff’ pitcher considering his standout changeup and the fact that his fastball plays like an invisiball.
12-28-20 - D1Baseball @d1baseball
Here are the Top 5 LHP on our newly released Top 100 College Draft Prospects:
• Jordan Wicks (@KStateBaseball)
• Steven Hajjar (@umichbaseball)
• Pete Hansen (@TexasBaseball)
• Christian MacLeod (@HailStateBB)
• Joe Rock (@Ohio_Baseball)
12-26-20 - Baseball Prospect Journal Mock Draft 1.0 -
26. Minnesota Twins: Jordan Wicks, LHP, Kansas State
Wicks has dominated opposing hitters in his first two years at Kansas State to position himself as one of the top college arms in the 2021 MLB draft. He doesn’t have premium velocity, as his fastball sits low-90s, but he has the best changeup in the class. If he can increase his fastball velocity this spring, Wicks will move up draft boards.
12-25-20 - https://medium.com/minor-league-madhouse/2021-mlb-mock-draft-3
New York Mets
Though Brodie Van Wagenen’s legacy will ultimately be trading Jarred Kelenic, his propensity to be aggressive in the draft definitely should be credited as the Mets were able to get four first round caliber prospects in two years. Jared Porter’s aggressive tendencies and Cape Cod history could lead to a continuation of that aggressiveness this year. The Mets are in that weird midpoint of the draft where they can still get a tier 1 player, and Jordan Wicks’ summer elevated him to the top of the LHP list in a weak year for lefties. He operates in the low 90’s, but his changeup is one of the best in the class with impressive life. Combining him with Matt Allan’s devastating curve and JT Ginn’s turbo sink slider would give the Mets a troika of pitchers with impressive secondary stuff.
12-23-20 - MLB - College prospects that wre High School prospects -
Jordan Wicks, LHP, Kansas State
2021: No. 16 | 2018: Unranked
Then: Wicks wasn't a factor in the 2018 Draft because he was a stocky left-hander who topped out in the mid-80s with his fastball. His advanced changeup and ability to pound the strike zone made him an attractive recruit for Kansas State, however.
Now: Wicks has blossomed into the best southpaw in the 2021 Draft after dominating in two college seasons and summer play. The Big 12 Conference freshman of the year in 2019, he has the top changeup in the Draft thanks to tumble, depth and deceptive arm speed. He also has some of the best command available and has pushed his fastball to 90-93 mph with a peak of 95 mph and high spin rates, though his breaking pitches are sill works in progress.
12-23-20 - prospect live -
Kansas State lefty Jordan Wicks is our consensus top southpaw in the college ranks right now.
12-18-20 - Future Sox Mock Draft -
9. Los Angeles Angels: Jordan Wicks, LHP, Kansas State
Wicks is the top southpaw in the class and he should move quickly through the system along with last year’s first-rounder Reid Detmers. The lefty compiled 52 strikeouts over 34 2/3 innings this summer and uses a plus-plus changeup as a wipeout pitch. The fastball also sits in the mid 90s. Wicks is 6-foot-3, 220 pounds and shows a low effort, easily repeatable delivery.
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