Jack Bauer

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #44 prospect in 2025 draft
  School: Lincoln-Way East HS, Frankfort, Ill. Drafted/Committed: Mississippi State
  Age At Draft: 18.5
  
  BA Grade: 55/Extreme
  
  Bauer became the hardest-throwing high school lefthander in history and founded the triple-digit prep southpaw club in 2025. After touching 95 mph during the 2024 showcase circuit, he came out during the spring and touched 100 mph and then a few days later reached back for 102. Hitting 102 mph is a rare feat for any pitcher—lefty or otherwise, amateur or not. It’s downright silly when you pair it with his still projectable 6-foot-4, 190-pound frame and an ability to rip off a breaking ball with 3,000 rpm of spin. Questions about Bauer’s control and the consistency of his secondaries are the only thing that will prevent him from becoming a first-round pick, and those are real questions to his game. On the circuit in 2024, he was consistently erratic, walked more batters than he struck out and threw all of his pitches for strikes at a less than 50% clip. His control was better in the spring, but still inconsistent from outing to outing. Bauer gets to his fastball velocity with shocking ease, and he’s done a nice job holding upper-90s velocity into his outings, though he rarely pitched deep into games. His low-80s slider has plus potential with excellent spin and tons of movement, while he also has the makings of a quality changeup in the low 80s. Both pitches need more refinement. Bauer also needs to improve his control by multiple grades to profile as a starter, though his pure upside and arm talent is unlike any pitcher scouts have seen.
  
  Scouting Grades: Fastball: 80 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 45 | Control: 40.
• Ranked #79 prospect in 2025 draft
  School: Lincoln-Way East HS, Frankfort, Ill. Committed: Virginia
  Age At Draft: 18.5
  Bauer hits several checkpoints scouts look for in a young pitcher. He pitches from a smooth, easy delivery with a fastball that has reached 95 mph from the left side and should have more coming given how much room he has to fill out his projectable 6-foot-3 frame. He attacks hitters up in the zone with his fastball from his low three-quarters slot and has innate feel to spin a mid-to-upper 70s slider at 2,800-3,000 rpm. The slider is not a refined pitch yet, but there’s potential for it to develop into a bigger swing-and-miss weapon with his ability to spin the ball. Bauer has a low-80s changeup too, but he doesn’t throw it much yet. Bauer has low-effort mechanics, but he has long limbs and long arm action that makes it difficult for him to stay online and consistent with his release point, so throwing more strikes will be key for him.