Mason McCullough

McCullough's draft position will show just how much big league clubs crave velocity, because that's pretty much all he has to offer. He pitched just 22 innings in two seasons at North Carolina, failing to find the strike zone consistently enough to earn more innings. He was dismissed from the team last fall for violating team rules, transferring to Division II Lander (S.C.) so he could play this spring. McCullough, who pitched 11 innings last summer in the Cape Cod League, needed innings and has started for Lander, averaging about four innings per start and throwing mostly fastballs. He has a lot of effort in his delivery and a big, strong body at 6-foot-4, 220 pounds. His velocity sits in the 93-96 mph range and he regularly touches 98. His nondescript secondary stuff and makeup issues, plus his lack of command--he has an 85-56 strikeout-walk ratio in 62 innings--profile him as a one-inning reliever. But with that kind of arm, he was still expected to go out in the first three to five rounds.