Mack - Top 5 Left Hand Pitchers (Projected Round Pick) in 2021 Draft

 

1.        Steven Hajjar                (projected 2nd round pick)

 

LHP      6-5     215     Michigan 

 

2-15-21 - CBS - Top 50 -

 

25. Steven Hajjar, LHP, Michigan

 

Hajjar is a speculator's dream. He's a 6-foot-5 southpaw who bears a slight resemblance to Christian Yelich in the face, and whose collegiate career consists of exactly 20 innings. (He struck out 24 and walked 11.) Hajjar has a chance to move up the board this spring thanks to his combination of spin and deception. He leverages his height to achieve a steep release point, and that includes pitching off a high front side. (He's maintained the optical advantage while reprogramming his arm action to make it less painful-looking). Hajjar has solid stuff as well, and there's fair reason to expect him to go early on. 

 

2-9-21 - Big 10 Preview -

 

Pitcher of the Year: Steven Hajjar, LHP, Michigan.

 

This is a year for premium pitching in the Big Ten and Hajjar enters the season with the highest profile. The third-year freshman has limited innings under his belt in college because he missed the 2019 season due to a torn ACL, but he was outstanding in the early going in 2020. He has three above-average pitches, and his 6-foot-5 frame makes for a tough at-bat.

2,        Christian MacLeod                (projected 2nd round pick)

 

LHP      6-4      225      Mississippi State 

 

2020 Miss. State stat line - 4-starts, 4-0, 0.86, 21-IP, 35-K 

 

2-22-21 - BA - Stock Watch -

 

Christian Macleod, LHP, Mississippi State (No. 49)

 

4 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 7 K (73 pitches)

 

MacLeod out-pitched Texas righthander Ty Madden in a highly anticipated matchup between the two, although the big-bodied lefthander took an inning to settle in. His fastball command out of the gate was a bit scattered, with MacLeod missing to his glove side with the pitch, but he made an adjustment in the second and from then on showed good feel to land a three-pitch mix. His fastball mostly hovered in the 89-91 mph range, but the pitch plays up significantly from that velocity. He generated eight whiffs with the pitch through the first three innings. He also threw a loopy curveball in the upper 70s that was a distinct third pitch and a low-80s changeup with solid fade and tumbling action to his arm side. The changeup got whiffs from hitters on both sides and MacLeod spotted the pitch down in the zone consistently.

3.        Jordan Wicks                (projected 2nd-3rd round)

LHP      Kansas State

 

2-19-21 - Joe @JoeDoyleMiLB

 

Kansas State LHP Jordan Wicks is your clubhouse leader for best 2021 debut. 7 IP, 3 hits, 2 BBs, 10 Ks  Was up to 94. 

 

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. 

4.        Gage Jump                (projected 3rd-4th round pick)

 

LHP     JSerra Catholic HS (CA) 

 

3-12-21 - top 50 HS players  -

 

37. Gage Jump, LHP, JSerra Catholic HS, San Juan Capistrano, Calif.

 

Scouts can settle in at JSerra Catholic for a while, as the team has three top-50 prep draft prospects. Jump's present stuff is pretty good (low-90s fastball and a slower low-70s curve with downer shape). He's a UCLA signee. 

 

2-27-21 - top hs players -

 

Gage Jump – Jump is the other spin champ in this class, but in a different way than Jobe. The undersized lefty sits in the 90-92 range with his fastball, but it shows near perfect spin efficiency and hitters can’t seem to touch it. He’s also a good athlete with feel for his secondary offerings.

5.        Josh Hartle                    (projected 3rd-4th round)

 

LHP   6-5   180 Reagan HS (NC) 

 

3-12-21 - top 50 HS players  -

 

10. Josh Hartle, LHP, Reagan HS, Pfafftown, N.C.

 

A lower slot lefty who throws lots of strikes, Hartle has a clean delivery and fills the zone with an 88-94 mph fastball, a sweepy low-80s slider, and a mid-80s changeup. The Wake Forest signee may have room to get stronger as he matures. 

 

2-27-21 - top hs players -

 

Josh Hartle – Hartle is the top prep southpaw to many observers of this class thanks to his solid command of three quality pitches and a lanky frame that suggests there’s more in the tank. His fastball sits in the low 90s, his breaking ball and changeup both show above-average potential, and his low-3/4 arm slot creates a tough angle for hitters.

  

2-15-21 - CBS - Top 50 -

 

31. Josh Hartle, LHP, Reagan HS (NC)

 

Hartle is a projectable, easy-throwing southpaw with present low-90s velocity and a good feel for throwing strikes. His low three-quarters release point creates a flatter plane to the top of the zone, a plus in this day and age. Hartle is a Wake Forest commit. The worst-case scenario here is that he spends some time in their pitching lab, whereafter he might reemerge in a few years as a top-10 candidate.