Noah Dean

Dean has put up eye-popping strikeout numbers throughout his three-year career at Old Dominion and is one of the more exciting pure relievers in the 2022 draft class. He’s managed a 44.7% strikeout rate out of the bullpen with ODU, and this spring he posted a 4.15 ERA over 26 innings, while striking out 46 batters (41.1 K%) and walking 16 (14.3 BB%). As his walk rate indicates, control has been an issue for Dean and should safely keep him in the bullpen at the next level. Despite his somewhat erratic nature, lengthy arm action and violent delivery—Dean’s stuff is fearsome. He throws a fastball from the left side that gets up to 100 mph and sits comfortably in the mid 90s. The pitch features plus carry and generated whiffs at a 45% rate this spring against mostly Conference USA hitters. He’s got a second plus pitch in his mid-to-upper-70s breaking ball that features sweeping action at times and solid two-plane bite with late tilt at others. Dean has thrown a mid-80s changeup extremely infrequently this spring and likely won’t need the pitch at the next level either. The 6-foot-2, 185-pound southpaw has made tremendous physical and velocity gains since his high school days (when he was in the mid 80s) and should be rewarded for that improvement as a potential top-five round draft pick.