Mack's Mock Pick #59 - RHP - Jack Perkins

 

Jack Perkins

Mack's spin - 

I was a big fan of Perkins in high school and was a first round draft pick in 2018.

Tommy John Surgery in 2019 slowed him

He's back to being a relief pitcher this season and, as of 3-29, he has pitched in seven outings to a 5.06-ERA. Control continues to be a problem, walking 12 in 10.2 innings.

I'm not giving up on him though and I still think he will be a quality reliever in the majors.

 

 RHP        6-1        200         Louisville

 

 1-14-21  -  Baseball America

 

Jack Perkins

 

Louisville RHP

 

Ht: 6-1 | Wt: 200 | B-T: R-R

Commit/Drafted: Braves 2018 (39)

Age At Draft: 21.6

 

Perkins was a standout football and baseball player in high school, at Kokomo (Ind.) High, who ranked No. 394 in the 2018 draft class thanks to a hard fastball and slider. Perkins was solid in a mostly reliever role for Louisville in 2019, posting a 4.18 ERA in 32.1 innings while striking out 37 batters (10.3 per nine) and walking 18 (5.0 per nine). Perkins missed the shortened 2020 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery in June of 2019 but returned to the mound this summer at Grand Park. He pitched well in 18.1 innings, posting a 2.45 ERA with 23 strikeouts and 14 walks. Perkins is an athletic righthander with plenty of arm speed and a fastball that he throws in the 92-95 mph range. He also still has a hard slider that could become a plus pitch in the future, but scouts have seen spotty control and inconsistent strikes when he’s on the mound so far. No one doubts the stuff, but until he proves he can handle an extended starting role at a high level, more teams will be convinced he’s a reliever at the next level.

 

 12-3-20  -  Perfect Game combined their picks for the first two rounds in this mock draft  -

 

17. Cincinnati Reds| Ryan Cusick, RHP, Wake Forest University | (2/46) Jack Perkins, RHP, University of Louisville

 

With a good crop of potential impact position players already in their system, the pitching centric Reds expand upon their new developmental mindset in landing both Cusick and Perkins with their first two picks. Cusick has continued to raise his stock in the same manner as the velocity on his fastball has. The 6-foot-6 right-hander has steadily improved each year and took it to a new level in the shortened 2020 season. With more focus on the use of his lower half, Cusick has been able to hold the mid-90s deep into starts and even touched 99 mph a few times. Cusick is a high upside prospect with a power fastball that will need to refine his secondary offerings to stick as a starter long term. Seemingly recovered from Tommy John after the 2019 season, the reports on Perkins have been intriguing as he hopes to be part of another Louisville CWS run in 2021. Perkins has the high spin rate fastball that Kyle Boddy and the Reds pitching development staff crave. The strongly built right-hander has seen his velocity creep back towards the range it was prior to surgery and has continued to develop his secondary offerings, highlighted by a true swing-and-miss curveball. -John McAdams

 

Sakowski’s Take: In this hypothetical, we see the Reds put all their eggs in the “stuff” basket, something that’s always risky but also comes with a bigger payout if the bets hit. Cusick is a monster right-hander who flirts with triple digits as a starter with huge projection traits, while Perkins, a former PG All-American, has had some trouble with strikes in his career but when he’s in the zone he’s nearly unhittable, with mid-90s heat and a hammer breaking ball.