Austin Love

Love was North Carolina’s relief ace in 2019, when he appeared in a team-high 36 games and posted a 3.22 ERA over 67 innings. He was also used out of the bullpen during the shortened 2020 season but made a successful transition to starting this spring. He posted a 3.71 ERA over 102 innings and 16 starts, while striking out 129 batters (11.4 K/9) and walking 32 (2.8 BB/9)—both his strikeout and walk rate this season were career bests. Love has a workhorse frame at 6-foot-3, 232 pounds and worked back-to-back complete games in May, including a 15-strikeout game against Georgia Tech. His fastball sits in the 91-94 mph range as a starter, and while the metrics on the pitch aren’t great, there are scouts who think he could work with a double-plus fastball that has increased velocity in a bullpen role at the next level. He’s touched 97-98 mph this season. While his best secondary pitch was previously his changeup, Love’s slider has developed this spring and became his best swing-and-miss offering. It’s a mid-80s bender with solid vertical bite that he consistently lands down and to his glove side. Love does a nice job keeping his mid-to-upper-80s changeup down as well, though he works the pitch to his arm side and away from lefthanded hitters, with terrific tumbling action at its best. Both pitches have shown above-average potential at times, but not always at the same time. Love has a very short arm action and a delivery that some scouts don’t love, but he did a nice job filling up the strike zone this season.