Lance McCullers

McCullers' father was a second-round pick in 1982 out of Tampa's Catholic High and had a seven-year major league career, primarily as a reliever. His son emerged early on as one of the top members of the 2012 draft class and at one time rated as the class' top player. Built similarly to his father but bigger at 6-foot-2, 205 pounds, McCullers has a strong, athletic body and pitches with power and aggression. He was used mostly as a reliever the last two years in high school and had his outings limited to two- or three-innings regularly prior to this season. Now starting, he's learned to go through a lineup repeatedly and has improved his strike-throwing ability with both his fastball and his slider. Some scouts put 70 grades on both pitches, and that might be selling McCullers short. His fastball sits 94-96 mph deep into games, with reports that he's hit 100 several times this spring. His slider, also thrown with power in the mid-80s, has good bite and depth. McCullers has thrown a changeup but it's an unnecessary third pitch in high school. Most evaluators believed McCullers had no shot to stay in a rotation as a professional, but he's started to change some minds this spring with his improved pitchability. The majority of scouts still believe he's a future reliever, though, which makes it harder to find a first-round fit. McCullers has committed to hit and pitch at Florida if he slides too far.