• Full name Asa Edward Lacy
  • Born 06/02/1999 in Bryan, TX
  • Profile Ht.: 6'4" / Wt.: 215 / Bats: L / Throws: L
  • School Texas A&M
  • Drafted in the 1st round (4th overall) by the Kansas City Royals in 2020 (signed for $6,670,000).
    View Draft Report
    Lacy entered the year among the top tier of college arms, with only Georgia righthander Emerson Hancock ahead, but performed at such a high level in his first four starts that most clubs now have him as the top arm in the class. Coming out of high school, Lacy was a projectable lefthander who was only just starting to fill out his 6-foot-4 frame. He had good pitchability and a fastball that got into the low 90s, along with a tumbling changeup that showed promise, but no real breaking ball. The Indians drafted him in the 31st round in 2017, but he instead chose to attend Texas A&M, where he has improved across the board and now harnesses some of the best stuff in the country. After filling out to 215 pounds, Lacy has plenty of strength and a fastball that ranges from 90-98 to go along with a wipeout slider, a plus changeup and a power curveball. After posting a 2.13 ERA with 130 strikeouts in 88.2 innings in his first full season as a starter in 2019, Lacy was well on his way to more dominance in 2020. In four starts he struck out 46 batters compared to eight walks and allowed just two earned runs—good for a 0.75 ERA. Previously, scouts had wondered about the quality of Lacy’s slider and whether he could shape develop it into a true swing-and-miss pitch. Lacy answered those questions this spring by unveiling a powerful, 87-90 mph version of the pitch. In fact, some scouts say it’s the best slider they’ve seen from a college lefty since Carlos Rodon in 2014. The pitch doesn’t have quite that depth, but it is a true wipeout offering now. His changeup has long been a reliable weapon, and while he hasn’t thrown it as much this spring, most scouts believe it’s a plus pitch. Lacy’s curveball gives him a fourth pitch that’s at least average and has above-average potential. The one critique of Lacy is his pitch efficiency. He has shown a tendency to pitch into deep counts, which scouts think has inflated his walk rate more than his above-average command would indicate, but he also strikes out plenty of batters and doesn’t allow much contact. Lacy’s delivery is fluid and clean, with good usage of his lower half to drive downhill and above-average deception achieved by hiding the ball behind his body before releasing from a higher three-quarters slot. In addition to all of his pure stuff, scouts love Lacy’s demeanor on the mound, with a stoic, no-nonsense mentality. He should be one of the first two pitchers off the board.

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Career Transactions

  • Northwest Arkansas Naturals placed LHP Asa Lacy on the 7-day injured list.

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