Cody Ponce

Ponce has the size and four-pitch mix scouts look for in a starting pitcher, and despite his Division II pedigree, he was moving up draft boards in a year light on college rotation options. At 6-foot-5, 235 pounds, he has grown into his body in college, with his stuff improving each year. Ponce has solid athleticism and present strength that help him repeat his delivery, and he has pounded the zone this spring, with just seven walks in his first 46 innings. He pitches off a 90-95 mph fastball at his best, at times sitting in the higher end of that register, though it has just average-at-best life. His cutter-type slider is his best pitch, at times reaching the upper 80s last summer. At times he gets more depth on it as a true slider, and he throws an average curveball at times as well. He's still learning to use and trust his changeup. Ponce profiles as a durable innings-eater, though he missed a month early in 2015 with shoulder fatigue. Teams that saw him good in the Cape Cod League last summer (4-1, 2.82 for Brewster) could bite as early as the first round.