Matt Canterino

Canterino is one of the funkier pitchers in this year’s draft class. As he gathers on the rubber, he raises his arm in a pump, in-sync with his lead leg, brings his arms back to his body, pauses, and then explodes to the plate. While it looks unconventional and seems very segmented, Canterino’s arm is on time with his body and he repeats it well. Not to mention, it’s been very effective. Canterino has been Rice’s ace almost since the day he arrived on campus. He’s been durable, consistent and hard to hit, limiting opponents to a sub-.200 batting average for his three-year career as an Owl. It’s that consistency and solid stuff that appeals to scouts, who also like his solid, 6-foot-3, 222-pound frame. In a draft class without many potential front-of-the-rotation options, Canterino is a potential late first-round pick as a solid back-of-the-rotation arm. His low-90s fastball will bump up to 95 mph at times, and his slider has gotten better and better, to the point where it not earns above-average grades. Even when his slider isn’t at its best, he will still show four average pitches thanks to a decent curveball and changeup. He’s steadily improved his control and now shows the potential for above-average control. Canterino is one of the better high-floor options among the college arms in this year’s draft class.