Gabe Speier

The nephew of former big leaguer Chris Speier, Gabe was the most pleasant surprise at the Southern California Invitational in February, catching scouts' attention by retiring all four hitters he faced, three via strikeout. He is a dogged competitor with good feel for pitching and a quick arm, but at 6 feet, 175 pounds, he's undersized and had a tendency to lose velocity as his outings wore on this spring. Scouts have seen him touch 93 mph early in games, and he'll pitch more at 88-91 early before settling in at 84-88. He commands his fastball well to both sides of the plate. His curveball flashes power when it's on, and he'll mix in a slower version as a get-me-over pitch. He sells his changeup well, and it projects as an average pitch with good arm speed and fade. Speier is committed to follow in his uncle's footsteps at UC Santa Barbara, but he's considered signable in the top 10 rounds, and some scouts like him as high as the fifth.