Nathan Kirby

Kirby was a coveted prospect out of high school, but opted out of the draft in high school in order to take his talents to Charlottesville, and he played a key role in Virginia's runner-up finish in Omaha in 2014, though his wildness helped lead to a disastrous start in the first game of the CWS Finals. A physically mature 6-foot-2 lefthander, Kirby checks off a lot of boxes for scouts. He showed better velocity as a junior than he had in previous years, working in the low 90s and hitting 94 in nearly every one of his starts. Kirby also showed tremendous progress with his changeup, which has become arguably his best pitch, quite the accomplishment when considering his sharp, late-breaking slider, which registers in the mid 80s. In his best innings, Kirby will show three above-average pitches, and can carve up elite hitters with either pitch in any count. This spring, however, Kirby's fastball command came and went, thanks largely to poor stability in his striding foot. At his best, Kirby pounded both sides of the zone with three pitches; he also at times elevated his fastball and put himself in poor situations. The southpaw walked 4.5 batters per nine this spring before sustaining a lat injury that kept him off the field down the stretch. Some teams soured on Kirby towards the end, but those who like him see an athletic lefthander with correctable issues that could end up in the middle of a big league rotation relatively quickly.