On 12-5-24, MLB.com posted their top 100 prospects in the
upcoming draft. Beginning 2-2-25, we will post it in backward order, ending
with the pick for 1.1
https://www.mlb.com/prospects/2025/draft/ -
#72 Ben Jacobs LHP,
Arizona State
20/years old 6'
1" 190
Scouting grades: Fastball: 50 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 55 |
Control: 50 | Overall: 50
Hailing from renowned California high school Huntington
Beach, Jacobs began his college career close to home at UCLA. After getting
just five innings on the mound as a freshman in 2023, he transferred to Arizona
State and began his sophomore season pitching out of the Sun Devils bullpen,
then eventually evolved into becoming their Friday night starter. He’s set to
resume that role in 2025 after a summer in which he made a few solid
appearances in the Cape Cod League and for USA Baseball’s Collegiate National
Team.
When he’s clicking like he was at the end of 2024, Jacobs
looks every bit like a prototypical college lefty with a starting pitcher’s
repertoire and solid feel for what he’s doing on the mound. None of his
individual offerings jump off the page, but he misses bats with all three of
his pitches. It starts with a fastball that typically sits in the 92-94 mph
range, touching 95-96 at times, but that elicited a 33 percent miss rate in
2024 thanks to some life up in the zone and his ability to hide the ball well.
He has a traditional slider he throws in the 78-83 mph range and his low-80s
changeup features good fade.
Jacobs has struggled with his command at times during his
college career, but he repeats his delivery well and is competitive in and
around the zone, so there’s some confidence he’ll get to more consistent
strikes as he advances. His ceiling might be a little limited because of the
lack of a true out pitch, but he’s the kind of back-end starter who has the
chance to land in the top three rounds.
12-23-24 - Top 50 college baseball prospects for 2025
MLB draft, per D1Baseball
28 Ben Jacobs LHP
Arizona State
https://thesundevils.com/sports/baseball/roster/ben-jacobs/16881
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SOPHOMORE (2024)
Evolved into ASU's ace as the season progressed, earning
Pac-12 Honorable Mention honors
Named Prospects Live No. 2 left-handed pitching prospects for
the 2025 MLB Draft
Was named the the U.S. Collegiate National Team in the
summer, becoming the 43rd Sun Devil to accomplish the feat
Recorded action on the mound in the International Friendship
Series…Completed the series with a 2.08 ERA and seven strikeouts in 4.1 innings
of work … Finished with a 1-0 overall record…Yielded just two hits in a
weather-shortened 3-2 win over Chinese Taipei in Cary, N.C., on June 30
Tossed 5.0 scoreless innings for Cotuit in the Cape Cod
League with eight strikeouts over 5.0 innings
Finished with a 4.75 ERA and a team-best seven wins on the
season, striking out 102 over 66.1 innings with a sub-.250 average against
The 102 strikeouts were 43rd nationally overall and 33rd
following the end of the conference tournament season
His 13.84 K/9 was 11th nationally and tops in the Pac-12 and
his seven wins were third in the league
Jacobs struck out a career-best 11 hitters in his Friday
night win over USC, earning a quality start with a career-best 6.1 innings of
work while allowing just a single run. He added a second quality start in 6.0
scoreless innings against Stanford with nine strikeouts
BEFORE ASU (UCLA, 2023)
Made seven appearances, including one start, as a freshman at
UCLA
HIGH SCHOOL/CLUB
As of signing day, was the No. 6-ranked left-handed pitcher
in the state of California, and No. 44 prospect overall ... Nationally, was the
No. 50 LHP and No. 393 prospect overall ... Preseason Underclass All-American
in 2021
Two-year varsity letterwinner ... Picked up a slew of awards
after his senior season ... Was a First Team All-State selection by CAL-HI
Sports and MaxPreps ... Also made First Team All-CIF Southern Section and First
Team All-Surf League ... 2022 Surf League MVP ... In 2022, was 9-2 with a 0.93
ERA ... Huntington Beach HS record-holder for single-season strikeouts (99) and
innings pitched (68.0)
Participant in the 2021 and 2022 Area Code Games ...
Participant in the 2022 MLB Draft Combine
https://www.prospectslive.com/prospects-live/tag/Ben+Jacobs
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LHP Ben Jacobs - Arizona State
Prospects Live Ranking: #36
Jacobs represents the highest-ranked Sun Devil on our Top 75
list, and it is for good reason. He saw limited time at UCLA, which led him to
transfer to ASU, where he struck out 102 batters over 66.1 innings
pitched—absurd numbers. The fastball is obviously Jacobs’ best pitch, and while
the velocity sat in the low 90s, there is tons of carry to the pitch. He’s able
to miss bats like crazy with that pitch. It’s a plus pitch, for sure. He’s got
a solid slider to go along with his fastball. His curveball is better than his
slider and has a ton of sweep. He also has a splitter in the low 80s and misses
bats like crazy with that pitch. It’s just a solid four-pitch mix, and he
commands all of them fairly well, although there is room for improvement. He’s
a really fun arm and will likely be the Friday night guy for the Sun Devils
this year. If he continues to improve his command on all his pitches, he could
see himself being taken in the first round.
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