Kevin Gowdy

Another UCLA commit (along with SoCal preps such as Mickey Moniak and Blake Rutherford), Gowdy has a projectable, young pitcher's body at 6-foot-2, 170 pounds. He's been well schooled with considerable polish, combining athleticism and working with Cubs scout Tom Myers as a pitching coach since he was nine. The Cubs don't pick until the third round, and there's no shot Gowdy will last that long. An alum of USA Baseball's 18U team last summer as well as the Area Code Games, Gowdy has had some velocity fluctuations this spring, at times sitting in the upper 80s. At his best, he's sat 92-93 mph and touched 94-95, and he commands it and makes adjustments with it, showing a high baseball IQ. He calls his breaking ball a curveball, and at times it's another plus pitch, with east-west action that prompts some to classify it as a slider. His clean arm action and low-maintenance delivery are more plusses for Gowdy, who also shows a feel for using his at least solid-average changeup. He could go out as high as the second round.