Dylan Lesko

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Tampa Bay Rays #18 prospect in 2025
  BA Grade/Risk: 55/Extreme.
  
  Track Record: Lesko looked like one of the best high school pitching prospects in years. But he had Tommy John surgery right before the 2022 draft, which is why he lasted until the Padres picked 15th overall. Lesko got back on the mound late in 2023, and some control issues he flashed got worse in 2024. The Rays acquired him in the Jason Adam trade, and his control troubles continued. His 19% walk rate was the third worst in the minors among pitchers with 70+ innings.
  
  Scouting Report: Lesko’s velocity has largely bounced back, as he sat 93-94 mph and touched 97. His plus-plus 77-79 mph changeup has deception and depth. It remains a pitch he can throw at pretty much any point in the count, and he’s used it regularly to get back into counts after he fell behind with fastballs that didn’t come close to the zone. But no pitcher can survive when only 50% of his fastballs are strikes. He’ll throw one fastball above a hitter’s head. A few fastballs later, he’ll bounce one two feet in front of the plate. He flashes an above-average slider and an average curve, but he is too often behind in counts and both are inconsistent.
  
  The Future: Lesko is a lottery ticket. He has shown the potential to be a front-of-rotation starter, but he’s so far from that right now that it raises concerns about whether that fastball quality and command is reclaimable. His 2025 assignment will depend on how he looks in spring training.
  
  Scouting Grades: Fastball: 50 | Curveball: 50 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 70 | Control: 30.
• 
  Ranked San Diego Padres #4 prospect in 2024
  BA Grade: 60/Extreme
  
  Track Record: Lesko was the 2021 Gatorade National Player of the Year after striking out 112 in 60 innings with a 0.35 ERA as a high school junior. He appeared ticketed for a top-five selection in the 2022 draft before Tommy John surgery ended his senior season months ahead of the draft. The Padres drafted him 15th overall and signed him for $3.9 million and unveiled him in the Arizona Complex League in June 2023. Lesko made four starts in the ACL, five at Low-A Lake Elsinore and three at High-A Fort Wayne, flashing upside at each level of his progression. The highlight was striking out nine over five shutout innings of one-hit ball in his second-to-last start of the season in the Midwest League.
  
  Scouting Report: As with most Tommy John rehabbers, Lesko’s command fluctuated throughout his first year back on the mound. When he was right, he still boasts a four-seamer that touches 98 mph with carry at the top of the zone. Lesko’s dastardly low-80s, fading changeup also still grades as a plus-plus pitch and perhaps the best offering of any pitcher in the system. There’s power to his 12-to-6 curveball that can push 3,000 rpm, though it’s a pitch he will need to refine with the repetition it didn’t get as an afterthought in his prep career. Given Lesko’s work ethic and aptitude for spinning a baseball, the Padres are optimistic that his curve will continue to improve as he moves further away from Tommy John surgery.
  
  The Future: Lesko could become a No. 3 starter--and perhaps more--based on his repertoire and assuming his command sharpens as he moves further past surgery. Look for him to start 2024 back at Fort Wayne and catch up with Robby Snelling as the two race toward San Diego.
  
  Scouting Grades Fastball: 70 | Curveball: 55 | Changeup: 70 | Control: 60
• 
  Ranked San Diego Padres #2 prospect in 2023
  BA Grade/Risk: 65/Extreme
  
  Track Record: Lesko appeared headed for a top five overall selection in the 2022 draft after he struck out 112 batters over 60 innings and had a 0.35 ERA as a high school junior. He even won Gatorade national player of the year honors as an underclassman in 2021. That trajectory was altered after Lesko had Tommy John surgery as a senior, but that did little to scare off the Padres. The club did its due diligence and didn't hesitate when Lesko slipped to them at with the 15th overall pick. San Diego signed him for a below-slot $3.9 million to lure him away from a Vanderbilt commitment.
  
  Scouting Report: With an athletic 6-foot-2 frame that draws comparisons to a more physical Zack Greinke, a healthy Lesko boasts a four-seam fastball that sits 93-95 mph and touches 98 with carry at the top of the strike zone. His fading low-80s changeup earns plus-plus grades with its 'Bugs Bunny' action and is one of the best seen in recent years from a high school pitcher. Lesko has power in his 12-to-6 curveball that can push 3,000 rpms, but it's a pitch that lacks consistency, mainly because he didn't need anything more than his fastball and changeup to dominate high school hitters. He doesn't currently throw a slider, but Padres staffers believe he can add one down the road given his aptitude on the mound. As much as Lesko's pure stuff impresses, his polished delivery and clean arm action stand out even more for a pitcher his age. Before the surgery, Lesko threw strikes with plus control and showed an advanced feel for pitching.
  
  The Future: Lesko should return to the mound by summer and make his professional debut in the Rookie-level Arizona Complex League. He has the talent to be a No. 2 or 3 starter as long as he returns healthy.
  
  Scouting Grades: Fastball: 70. Curveball: 50. Changeup: 70. Control: 60

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #13 prospect in 2022 draft
  School: Buford (Ga.) HS Committed/Drafted: Vanderbilt
  Age At Draft: 18.9
  BA Grade: 60/Extreme
  Scouting Grades: Fastball: 70 | Curveball: 60 | Slider: - | Changeup: 70 | Cutter: | Control: 60
  Lesko has been paving his way as the top pitching prospect in the 2022 class for years now. His track record of performance on the travel circuit and with Buford High in Georgia is exceptional, and he was named the Gatorade National Player of the Year in 2021 as an underclassman after posting a 0.35 ERA over 60 innings with 112 strikeouts. He pitched his way into consensus top pitching prospect status in the 2022 class—college or high school—this spring and was looking like a top-five pick before suffering an elbow injury that required Tommy John surgery. When healthy, Lesko showed a unique combination of power and polish, with three pitches that have flashed plus and two which consistently reach that grade. His arsenal is headlined by a fastball routinely in the mid 90s that touches 97, with impressive riding life that plays nicely at the top of the zone. While the velocity is impressive, Lesko’s touch and feel for the pitch and his ability to locate it in the zone at will is extremely advanced and the combination of velocity plus command remind many scouts of Josh Beckett at the same time. His best secondary offering is a low-80s bugs bunny changeup that routinely earns double-plus grades and is one of the best changeups the industry has seen from a high school pitcher. He sells the pitch with fastball arm speed and will double and triple up on the pitch for swings and misses in the zone and below it to both lefthanded and righthanded hitters. It’s an elite out pitch presently with no projection necessary. His curveball is less consistent, but also flashes plus at its best. The pitch is a high-spin breaking ball (2,700-3,000 rpm) that varies in shape but shows depth and hard finish when he breaks off a good one. All his stuff comes together with clean arm action and a highly polished delivery that one scout described as “poetry in motion.” Lesko is a standout athlete and would be a strong prospect as a shortstop and hitter if he didn’t pitch, and he still has some projection remaining in a lean, 6-foot-3, 195-pound frame. His injury clouds his draft stock a bit, and a Vanderbilt commitment could make things tricky as well, but there’s no doubting he is the highest upside pitcher in the class.

Top 100 Rankings

• Ranked Baseball America's #36 prospect in 2023
• Ranked Baseball America's #69 prospect in 2023

• February, 2023 Scouting Report
  BA Grade/Risk: 65/Extreme
  
  Track Record: Lesko appeared headed for a top five overall selection in the 2022 draft after he struck out 112 batters over 60 innings and had a 0.35 ERA as a high school junior. He even won Gatorade national player of the year honors as an underclassman in 2021. That trajectory was altered after Lesko had Tommy John surgery as a senior, but that did little to scare off the Padres. The club did its due diligence and didn't hesitate when Lesko slipped to them at with the 15th overall pick. San Diego signed him for a below-slot $3.9 million to lure him away from a Vanderbilt commitment.
  
  Scouting Report: With an athletic 6-foot-2 frame that draws comparisons to a more physical Zack Greinke, a healthy Lesko boasts a four-seam fastball that sits 93-95 mph and touches 98 with carry at the top of the strike zone. His fading low-80s changeup earns plus-plus grades with its 'Bugs Bunny' action and is one of the best seen in recent years from a high school pitcher. Lesko has power in his 12-to-6 curveball that can push 3,000 rpms, but it's a pitch that lacks consistency, mainly because he didn't need anything more than his fastball and changeup to dominate high school hitters. He doesn't currently throw a slider, but Padres staffers believe he can add one down the road given his aptitude on the mound. As much as Lesko's pure stuff impresses, his polished delivery and clean arm action stand out even more for a pitcher his age. Before the surgery, Lesko threw strikes with plus control and showed an advanced feel for pitching.
  
  The Future: Lesko should return to the mound by summer and make his professional debut in the Rookie-level Arizona Complex League. He has the talent to be a No. 2 or 3 starter as long as he returns healthy.
  
  Scouting Grades: Fastball: 70. Curveball: 50. Changeup: 70. Control: 60
• December, 2022 Scouting Report
  BA Grade/Risk: 65/Extreme
  
  Track Record: Lesko appeared headed for a top five overall selection in the 2022 draft after he struck out 112 batters over 60 innings and had a 0.35 ERA as a high school junior. He even won Gatorade national player of the year honors as an underclassman in 2021. That trajectory was altered after Lesko had Tommy John surgery as a senior, but that did little to scare off the Padres. The club did its due diligence and didn't hesitate when Lesko slipped to them at with the 15th overall pick. San Diego signed him for a below-slot $3.9 million to lure him away from a Vanderbilt commitment.
  
  Scouting Report: With an athletic 6-foot-2 frame that draws comparisons to a more physical Zack Greinke, a healthy Lesko boasts a four-seam fastball that sits 93-95 mph and touches 98 with carry at the top of the strike zone. His fading low-80s changeup earns plus-plus grades with its 'Bugs Bunny' action and is one of the best seen in recent years from a high school pitcher. Lesko has power in his 12-to-6 curveball that can push 3,000 rpms, but it's a pitch that lacks consistency, mainly because he didn't need anything more than his fastball and changeup to dominate high school hitters. He doesn't currently throw a slider, but Padres staffers believe he can add one down the road given his aptitude on the mound. As much as Lesko's pure stuff impresses, his polished delivery and clean arm action stand out even more for a pitcher his age. Before the surgery, Lesko threw strikes with plus control and showed an advanced feel for pitching.
  
  The Future: Lesko should return to the mound by summer and make his professional debut in the Rookie-level Arizona Complex League. He has the talent to be a No. 2 or 3 starter as long as he returns healthy.
  
  Scouting Grades: Fastball: 70. Curveball: 50. Changeup: 70. Control: 60
• April, 2022 Scouting Report
  BA Grade: 60/Extreme
  
  August Update: Lesko has been paving his way as the top pitching prospect in the 2022 class for years now. His track record of performance on the travel circuit and with Buford High in Georgia is exceptional, and he was named the Gatorade National Player of the Year in 2021 as an underclassman after posting a 0.35 ERA over 60 innings with 112 strikeouts. He pitched his way into consensus top pitching prospect status in the 2022 class—college or high school—this spring and was looking like a top-five pick before suffering an elbow injury that required Tommy John surgery. When healthy, Lesko showed a unique combination of power and polish, with three pitches that have flashed plus and two which consistently reach that grade. His arsenal is headlined by a fastball routinely in the mid 90s that touches 97, with impressive riding life that plays nicely at the top of the zone. While the velocity is impressive, Lesko&#39s touch and feel for the pitch and his ability to locate it in the zone at will is extremely advanced and the combination of velocity plus command remind many scouts of Josh Beckett at the same time. His best secondary offering is a low-80s bugs bunny changeup that routinely earns double-plus grades and is one of the best changeups the industry has seen from a high school pitcher. He sells the pitch with fastball arm speed and will double and triple up on the pitch for swings and misses in the zone and below it to both lefthanded and righthanded hitters. It&#39s an elite out pitch presently with no projection necessary. His curveball is less consistent, but also flashes plus at its best. The pitch is a high-spin breaking ball (2,700-3,000 rpm) that varies in shape but shows depth and hard finish when he breaks off a good one. All his stuff comes together with clean arm action and a highly polished delivery that one scout described as “poetry in motion.” Lesko is a standout athlete and would be a strong prospect as a shortstop and hitter if he didn&#39t pitch, and he still has some projection remaining in a lean frame.
  
  Scouting Grades: Fastball: 70. Curveball: 60. Changeup: 70. Control: 60.