Blake Hickman

Coming out of high school, Hickman was a 20th-round pick (White Sox) as an intriguing catcher/first baseman. But in his sophomore season at Iowa, the Hawkeyes gave Hickman a chance to try pitching to take advantage of his excellent arm. The stuff (95-97 mph in short stints) and results meant he could give away his catcher's mitt. He moved into the Hawkeyes' rotation full-time as a junior. Hickman's frame is close to the platonic ideal for a pitcher. The 6-foot-5, 210-pounder has an athletic build and still boasts plenty of projection considering he has less than 200 innings in his career, including summer ball. That inexperience still shows as he lacks an out pitch. His curveball has morphed into a slider thanks to a slightly lower arm slot this year, but it's still a fringy pitch. His changeup is very erratic, but in his best outings, like against Maryland this year, it flashes average. Hickman's fastball, athleticism and potential makes him a potential second-to-third round pick, but the team drafting him knows that they will have a lot of work to do to help him reach his lofty potential. His power arm and ability to maintain his velocity is why teams see him as a future starter, but he needs to find a breaking ball to avoid being forced into an eventual move to the pen.