Pat Dean

Like Virginia Tech's Jesse Hahn, Dean was a skinny, projectable Connecticut prepster in 2007, and like Hahn he blossomed in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Dean's fastball sat in the 84-88 mph range in high school, but he touched 93 mph and held his velocity deep into games as a sophomore at BC last spring. Dean has not been at his best this spring due to elbow inflammation, which caused him to miss a start in mid-March and another three weeks later. But MRIs and X-rays revealed no structural damage, and the Eagles eased him back into action. Through 67 innings, he was 5-1, 3.76 with 51 strikeouts and 10 walks, demonstrating his outstanding control. The 6-foot-1, 175-pound Dean is a competitive lefthander with excellent feel for pitching, earning comparisons to Glen Perkins. He settled into the 88-91 mph range with his fastball this spring and has topped out at 92 on occasion. He has good command of a four-pitch mix, but his solid-average changeup is his best pitch. His slider and curveball both rate as fringe-average offerings. Dean's frame gives scouts pause, but his polish gives him a good chance to reach the big leagues as a back-end starter.