Caleb Clay

Auburn recruiting coordinator Butch Thompson saw in Clay an athletic player with good arm strength who could blossom into a Friday starter. Unfortunately for Auburn, Clay may have blossomed too soon. He was primarily an outfielder before his senior season, but when he started pitching in relief this spring he became the talk of the Southeast. With a slender, strong and projectable body and a simple, loose and easy delivery, Clay moved into a starting role and climbed draft boards. He struck out 10 and hit three home runs in a doubleheader sweep in the second round of the 5-A playoffs. His days as a center fielder, however, appear over. His fastball sat between 90-91 mph, touching 94. It's heavy with late life. Surprisingly, his a slider and changeup have been solid, if somewhat inconsistent. When he stays on top of his slider, it has tight rotation with hard bite. Clay's aptitude is as much of an asset as his athleticism. He's eager to learn and offers a fresh arm. He showed rudimentary feel for pitching, spotting his fastball to both sides of the plate and pitching down in the zone. Cullman made a late push in the postseason and Clay's workload piled up, which drew some concern from scouts.