Adrian Chaidez

Primarily a catcher in high school, Chaidez didn’t focus on pitching until he arrived at Cypress (Calif.) JC. He quickly emerged as one of the top college pitchers in the state and received considerable draft interest, but he stuck with his commitment to UCLA and spent two seasons in the Bruins’ bullpen. Though he wasn’t UCLA’s closer, he was its most effective reliever this spring and went 3-0, 2.20 with 48 strikeouts in 32.2 innings while holding opponents to a .128 average. Chaidez is an athletic 6-foot-1 righthander with a clean arm action and an easy delivery. His fastball sits at 91-93 mph and can reach 96 mph and his short, tight slider is an average offering that gets swings and misses in the strike zone. He also shows feel for a changeup, although he rarely uses it. Chaidez’s control is well below-average, but he’s still relatively new to pitching and could improve as he continues to gain experience. He is a tough-minded pitcher who is unfazed by entering with runners on base and has a chance to be a solid middle reliever.