Josh Knoth

School: Patchogue-Medford HS, Medford, N.Y. Source: HS

Commit/Drafted: Mississippi
Age At Draft: 17.9
BA Grade:55/Extreme
Tools:Fastball: 55. Slider: 65. Curveball: 60. Changeup: 45. Control: 55.

Knoth entered 2023 with plenty of projection arrows pointing in the right direction. That projection has already started to come to fruition, with Knoth becoming one of the buzziest names among high school pitchers on the rise this spring, a season that included a 19-strikeout perfect game. Knoth is 17 until August, so he’s one of the youngest players in the 2023 class. He’s an athletic 6-foot-1, 190 pounds with a simple, efficient delivery and arm action that he repeats well to fill the strike zone with a fastball that sits at 92-96 mph and reaches 98. That’s an uptick from where his fastball was last summer, giving him a power fastball and a pair of sharp breaking pitches. Knoth has long separated himself for his innate feel to spin the ball, with a sharp, two-plane slider that flashes plus in the low-to-mid 80s. It’s a swing-and-miss pitch for Knoth that he can spin north of 3,000 rpm and could develop into a 70 pitch on the 20-80 scouting scale. His power curveball is another pitch flashing plus with tight rotation that he can spin above 3,000 rpm. His curveball and slider can blend into each other at times, but he throws his curveball with power at 79-82 mph and good depth when it’s at its best. Knoth shows feel for a changeup with fade, though it’s a firm pitch that he doesn’t use much.