Baseball America turns its spotlight on a guy that has made quite a bit of noise already this college season. The big draft-eligible sophomore has struck out 31 in 27 innings this season and threw an absolute gem last Friday against Michigan. What did BA have to say about him?
↵↵↵The 6-foot-4, 185-pound Gausman can be simply overpowering when he is at his best, as he was Friday. Mainieri said his fastball velocity has mostly sat in the 93-95 mph range, peaking at 97. In the past, Gausman would try to blow hitters away by just throwing his four-seamer as hard as he could, but Mainieri said he has developed a two-seamer with good run, and his fastball command has made great progress. That is partly a result of his improved secondary stuff.
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Compare that to TCB's breakdown of Gausman before the 2010 draft:
↵↵↵Gausman's best skill is his fastball. It sits around 93 on his best days, touching 95 at times. He also throws a two-seamer around 88-90 MPH and controls both pitches well. It's his breaking stuff that needs a ton of work. For one, he can't control any of his offspeed stuff and none of those pitches stand out with the possibility of being plus down the road.
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If he's improved his secondary offerings (which he has) and the fastball velocity he lost before the 2010 draft (which he has), Gausman is a sure-fire Top 10 pick. It also seems the curve he's worked on at LSU is becoming a more effective out pitch. In high school, it tended to be more slurvy and thus, less effective. By tightening it up, Gausman has four pitches he can throw effectively and should profile as at least a No. 2 starter.
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For more news on the 2012 MLB Draft, check out our StoryStream here. For more on the Houston Astros draft prospects, check out The Crawfish Boxes. For more Major League Baseball news, visit Baseball Nation.
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