Cole Quintanilla

College relievers are no longer in high demand come draft day. The days of teams picking closers in the first round because they expected them to move quickly faded away a decade ago. But when college relievers start going off the board, in the later rounds of Day Two of the draft, Quintanilla’s remaining projectability and solid production should entice teams. Quintanilla was excellent for Texas in 2021, going 4-0, 1.29 with 18 hits, 10 walks and 36 strikeouts in 35 innings after the NCAA super regionals. Scouts love Quintanilla’s build (6-foot-5, 220 pounds). He gets excellent extension as he practically leaps off the rubber in his delivery, working up and down in the strike zone thanks in part to his over-the-top delivery. Quintanilla is the typical fastball-slider reliever with a 91-95 mph average fastball and a plus low-80s slider. His slider is generally a one-plane pitch as it has depth, but little tilt. It misses bats and is hard to do much with as long as he keeps it down in the zone. Quintanilla had Tommy John surgery in 2018 but has been reliably durable since then.