J.C. Flowers

A legitimate two-way player for the Seminoles, Flowers was a highly touted prospect out of Trinity Christian Academy in Jacksonville, where he was also recruited as a wide receiver. Flowers’ best tool might be his athleticism, which allows him to cover expansive ground in center field, where he is an above-average defender. Which role he fills at the next level could depend on who drafts him, however, as some in the industry prefer him on the mound and some teams prefer him as a hitter. Flowers has some pop in the bat—he hit a career-best 11 home runs through his first 54 games this spring—but he has a career strikeout rate of approximately 22 percent and scouts are concerned with the amount of swing-and-miss in his game. On the mound, Flowers has been used as FSU’s closer this spring, though he did start one game in early April against Jacksonville, when he pitched three innings and struck out three batters. Flowers’ fastball reaches the mid-90s at its best, but it usually sits in the low 90s and averages 91 mph. He has a hard slider or cutter that sits in the upper 80s and flashes above-average, but the pitch remains inconsistent. Flowers also shows a solid, third-pitch changeup. For the most part, Flowers has been up and down as a pitcher this spring. But his athleticism, and the fact that he’s a two-way player, could mean there is plenty of room for improvement if he focuses exclusively on pitching. He could be drafted in the middle of Day 2, although there are a few teams who might think he could be a starting pitcher. If that’s the case, Flowers could be drafted sooner rather than later on the draft’s second day.