Austin DeCarr

A year after being bypassed as a Massachusetts high school senior, DeCarr is likely to go in the top three rounds after a year at prep school. DeCarr, who is also one of the top high school quarterbacks in the Northeast, had a bone spur removed from his throwing elbow in the fall of his junior year and his fastball velocity diminished for his senior year, when he was throwing mostly 85-88 mph. His velocity increased shortly after the draft as a mainstay on the showcase circuit who was set to attend Salisbury Prep as a postgraduate student. He had a strong outing at East Coast Pro, touching 94 mph, and many teams with extra draft bonus pool money made attempts to sign DeCarr. He continued to improve over the winter working with renowned trainer Eric Cressy and came out this spring touching 96 mph and sitting 90-93 regularly. At his best, DeCarr can sit 92-94 mph with downhill plane from a high-energy delivery and high three-quarters arm slot. The Clemson commit has maintained his velocity better this spring, especially from the stretch, which was a problem in the summer. He has an out pitch hammer curveball with 11-to-5 tilt that has plus potential. His third offering is a seldom-used (or needed) mid-80s changeup that is a below-average offering. In the elite class of Northeast pitchers who have large, projectable physiques, DeCarr is more of a finished product with impressive physical strength at 6-foot-2, 220 pounds. He will be 19 on draft day because of his postgraduate year. He has pitchability and control of his fastball, allowing scouts to project average control. His fastball/curveball combination gives him the floor of a power bullpen arm, so the development of his changeup and command will likely determine whether he can end up in a rotation.