Dax Whitney

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #2 prospect in 2027 draft
  School: Oregon State
  Age At Draft: 21.5
  Whitney was one of the buzziest prep arms last spring and generated plenty of top-two-round chatter, but he made it to campus. He emerged as one of the best starting pitchers in the country regardless of class, pitching to a 3.40 ERA with 120 strikeouts and 37 walks across 76.2 innings en route to a Team USA Collegiate National Team selection. A 6-foot-5 righthander, Whitney possesses a high-octane arsenal headlined by a mid-90s fastball that has been up to 98 mph with plus carry, two swing-and-miss breaking balls in a low-to-mid-80s slider and a high-70s curveball, and a seldom-used mid-80s changeup. His fastball plays well at the top of the zone thanks to its riding life, while his curveball, which features sharp, downward tilt, stands as his best secondary offering. Whitney’s high-spin sweeper averaged more than 17 inches of lateral break and produced an impressive 42% whiff rate. He consistently competes in and around the strike zone and has the look of a potential front-of-the-rotation starter.
• Ranked #45 prospect in 2024 draft
  School: Blackfoot (Idaho) HS Commit/Drafted: Oregon State
  Age At Draft: 18.5
  BA Grade: 55/Extreme
  Tools: Fastball: 60. Slider: 55. Curveball: 55. Changeup: 50. Control: 55.
  
  Just four high school players have been drafted and signed from the state of Idaho in the top 10 rounds this century. Whitney could be the fifth after establishing himself as the top arm in the Northwest region of the country this spring. A 6-foot-5, 195-pound righthander with a great pitcher’s frame, Whitney has shown an impressive four-pitch mix with flashes of big velocity, advanced control and loads of projection to dream of more coming. He has thrown his fastball up to 96 mph but typically sits in the low 90s and mixes in a curveball, slider and changeup. His curveball looks like his sharpest secondary at the moment. It’s an upper-70s, 12-to-6 hammer with sharp, downward biting action that could make it a consistent swing-and-miss pitch. He has also thrown a shorter slider and a changeup that could give him a complete four-pitch mix. Whitney throws with a compact and tight arm action and has a slight crossfire landing, attributes that add a bit of deception. Whitney does a nice job repeating his delivery and throwing strikes. The only blemish on his scouting report is the fact that he wasn’t seen all that frequently on the showcase circuit, but the number of high-level scouts flying in to see him this spring should make that a non-issue for most teams. Whitney is committed to Oregon State but has a chance to get drafted inside the first two rounds.