Matt Mikulski

Undrafted last year, Mikulski returned to Fordham for his senior year and his stock has climbed considerably after he changed his mechanics, improved his stuff and dominated the Atlantic 10. His 1.45 ERA led the league and ranked sixth in the country, he struck out a league-high 124 batters in 68.1 innings and his 16.3 K/9 ranked first in the nation. Coming into the season, Mikulski shortened his arm action and increased his velocity, as he now sits at 92-95 mph with a peak of 98. He hides the ball behind his chest with his short, abrupt arm path before the ball pops out from behind his ear, so the deception in his delivery helps his already strong fastball play up because it jumps on hitters faster than they expect. It also helps him disguise his offspeed stuff, though scouts are split on determining his best secondary pitch. Some prefer his slider, which flashes as an average pitch, though it's often more of a fringe-average offering. His 83-86 mph changeup is the pitch with his highest swing-and-miss rate. The action on his changeup doesn't stand out, but he disguises it well out of his hand and he executes it down in the zone consistently to get empty swings from hitters who have to be ready for his mid-90s fastball. Mikulski also flips in a get-me-over, below-average curveball as an early-count pitch. Mikulski is 22 with more control than tight command and an unorthodox delivery that adds to the concerns of several scouts that his long-term role might be in the bullpen, while others see a potential mid-rotation starter trending up.