Walker Weickel

Weickel answered USA Baseball's call several times in his high school career and stuck with the 18U national team last November after many other pitchers bailed on the program. Weickel was the best pitcher on the 18U team that won the Pan American championships gold medal. Tall and lanky at 6-foot-6, 200 pounds, Weickel grew almost two inches in the last year and uses his frame to pitch downhill with a heavy fastball. He also has feel for a curveball and changeup and uses pitch stuff in a mature manner. His stuff was down this spring, as he often pitched with a fastball in the upper 80s rather than the low 90s heat he showed in the past. Scouts said the ball wasn't coming out of his hands the way it had in the past, even though Weickel never lost for his undefeated Olympia High club. His curveball also needs more power, as he often threw it in the 68-72 mph range. Weickel's advocates point to his angle, track record and his late growth spurt as reasons for optimism. If he can regain some body control and if his strength can catch up to his frame, Weickel could still develop into a mid-rotation starter with three average-to-plus offerings. But that involves a lot of projection right now, perhaps dropping Weickel into the supplemental or second round.