Karl Kauffmann

Michigan had a deep rotation this year with Tommy Henry and Kauffman serving as excellent anchors to the weekend rotation. When Kauffman is on, he pounds the bottom of the zone with sinkers and sliders. His above-average fastball has solid sink, and his velocity has ticked up to 91-95 mph in the later parts of this season. His slider gives him a second potentially above-average offering, and he generally shows feel to locate both pitches. He will sporadically throw a fringe-average changeup as well. Kauffman throws strikes and shows solid feel for setting up hitters. When he doesn’t get his sinker and slider down in the zone, however, hitters are able to tee off, as neither is a pitch that can blow hitters away. Kauffman’s delivery is clean and conventional, and he’s proven to be durable throughout his time at Michigan. He will likely begin his pro career as a starter, but as a sinker/slider righthander he could eventually end up as a useful reliever.