Will Warren

In his first three years at Southeastern Louisiana, Warren was a useful pitcher filling a variety of roles. He morphed into the team’s undisputed ace in 2021, something he made clear early on when he shut out Arizona for six innings. He was consistently effective all year. Down the stretch, Warren reached double-digit strikeouts in each of his final three starts, finishing the year 7-2, 2.57 with 95 strikeouts in 91 innings. Warren added strength and velocity during the 2020 layoff and came back for 2021 throwing significantly harder. His average fastball went from sitting 90-91 and touching 95 to sitting 91-93 mph and touching 95-97. His ability to carry that velocity deeper into games improved as well. Warren has two distinct breaking balls—a mid-70s above-average curve (that will top 3,000 rpm) with plenty of depth and occasionally some sweep away from righthanded hitters. He mixes in a harder, tighter, average mid-80s slider. He only uses his fringe-average changeup against lefties, but it will show some arm-side fade. Warren has an easy, flowing delivery. He still has skinny legs, although he’s now likely carrying a little more weight than the roster indicates (6-foot-2, 175 pounds). His steady improvement gives him a shot of being a useful back-of-the-rotation starter in pro ball and his breaking balls make him a viable relief option as well.