Hunter Patteson

Patteson bounced back and forth between the rotation and the bullpen for Central Florida during his first two seasons in 2020 and 2021 but showed a massive step forward with his control during the Cape Cod League in 2021. While there, he posted a 4.34 ERA over 18.2 innings with Brewster, with 17 strikeouts and just four walks. He transitioned into a full-time starting role during the 2022 season and was off to a fantastic start before injuring his elbow and having Tommy John surgery. Prior to the injury, Patteson posted a 1.82 ERA over seven starts and 29.2 innings, with 41 strikeouts (34.2 K%) and only five walks (4.2 BB%). The 6-foot-4, 190-pound lefthander throws a three-pitch mix including a 90-95 mph fastball that touches 96, a low-80s slider that looked sharper this spring and a mid-80s changeup he lands with good consistency. The life on Patteson’s fastball has been impressive dating back to his prep days and this spring he showed around 20 inches of induced vertical break with the pitch. Patteson was trending in the right direction in all phases of his game this spring, and he shows flashes of three above-average pitches from the left side with more than enough strikes to continue profiling as a full-time starter. His injury clouds his draft status.