- Full name Zach Strickland
- Born 06/25/2006 in
- Profile Ht.: 6'2" / Wt.: 190 / Bats: B / Throws: R
Top Rankings
Draft Prospects
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School: Maranatha HS, Pasadena, Calif. Drafted/Committed: UCLA
Age At Draft: 19.1
BA Grade: 50/Extreme
Strickland is a prep righthander with a 6-foot-2, 190-pound frame, a loose and easy delivery and a deep mix of high-spin pitches. He’s a strong athlete and solid mover on the mound who features a hooking action that gets inverted in the back, but fires from a three-quarters slot with relative ease and solid balance in his finish. Strickland throws his fastball in the low 90s, but has been up to 96 mph already with the physical projection in his frame to expect more top-end velocity in the near future. It’s a high-spin fastball that gets into the 2,500-2,600 rpm range. Strickland also has feel to spin two breaking balls. He throws both his slider and curveball in the mid-2,000 rpm range. He did a nice job adding more power to the slider in his senior spring season and throws it in the mid 80s, while his curveball is thrown in the mid 70s. Both pitches have solid or better potential. Strickland will also mix in a low-80s straight changeup that could become a useful piece against lefthanded hitters. Like most high school pitchers, Strickland needs to make strides with his control and command, but has the look of a future starter. He’s committed to UCLA and could be a tough sign, though a handful of teams might try and coax him out of his college commitment inside the first five rounds.
Scouting Grades: Fastball: 55 | Slider: 55 | Curveball: 50 | Changeup: 40 | Control: 45. -
School: Marantha HS, Pasadena, Calif. Committed: UCLA
Age At Draft: 19.1
With a smooth, low-effort delivery, Strickland pitches with a wide range of velocity on his fastball but can run it up to 96 mph and has the physical projection for a little more velocity that could still come. He pitches heavily off that fastball, with a slider and slow curveball that he shows feel to spin, though he will probably need to add more power to those pitches to have success against more advanced hitters. His changeup is inconsistent but he has flashed feel for that pitch at times.
