Adam Plutko

Plutko flashed 93 mph heat in high school and ranked as BA's No. 131 prospect for the 2010 draft. The Astros drafted him in the sixth round, but he headed to UCLA, where he has been one of college baseball's most reliable pitchers for three years. He went 7-4, 2.01 as the Sunday starter behind Gerrit Cole and Trevor Bauer as a freshman, then went 12-3, 2.48 to lead the Bruins to Omaha as a sophomore. He was 7-2, 2.68 with 65 strikeouts and 22 walks in 84 innings this spring. A consummate winner with toughness, Plutko succeeds without overpowering stuff. A flyball pitcher, he likes to work up in the zone with his 87-91 mph four-seam fastball, which plays up a bit because he hides the ball well in his start/stop delivery. He attacks the strike zone with all four of his pitches, and he has a plus secondary offering in his changeup, which he'll throw to righties as well as lefties. His slider and curveball have distinct looks. He uses the slider more often, and it rates as a fringe-average pitch, while the curveball is below-average. Plutko's feel for pitching, command and competitiveness could help him get drafted in the top five rounds despite his limited ceiling.