Kyle Freeland

Freeland hopes to join the projectable Colorado prep products who became successful big league pitchers, from Scott Elarton and Roy Halladay to Mark Melancon and Kevin Gausman. Just 170 pounds when the Phillies drafted him in the 35th round in 2011, he went to Evansville and earned a rotation spot as a freshman, when he was throwing 85-88 mph. He has grown to 6-foot-4 and 190 pounds, and the quality of his stuff has continued to improve as he has grown into his body and retained a quick arm. He hit 96 mph in the fall after pitching at 89-93 mph last summer in the Cape Cod League, and he has maintained that stuff this spring. Freeland has a loose arm and plus-plus control and projects to have big league command, and his 15-1 strikeout-walk ratio ranked second in the country, and his 106 strikeouts ranked third. Freeland gets swings and misses with his fastball as well as a hard slider in the 85-86 mph range when he's right. The slider is lethal to lefthanded hitters. He also throws a solid-average curveball that he locates well. Freeland's changeup can be too firm at times but has good tumble when it's on. Some scouts aren't convinced Freeland's delivery will allow him to start, as he has a bit of a head jerk, but he has shown the athleticism to repeat it and throws a high volume of quality strikes. He rose up draft boards all spring as his numbers popped off both the radar gun and the stat sheet.