Eric Skoglund

Skoglund earns Chris Sale physical comparisons at a listed 6-foot-7, 200 pounds. He has a prospect pedigree and an improved performance track record. He anchored the rotation for tradition-rich Sarasota High and bumped 91 mph as a high school senior. A late thumb injury helped drive him down to the 16th round, where the Pirates drafted him but were unable to sign him. His clean arm action and easy delivery didn't translate immediately to a lot of strikes, as he was hittable as a freshman and struggled mightily as a sophomore, posting a 5.08 ERA and losing his rotation spot with a 29-26 walk-strikeout ratio. However, Skoglund hit his stride in the Florida Collegiate Summer League last year and carried that momentum over to the spring, leading the American Athletic Conference in strikeouts while limiting righthanded hitters to a .190 average. Skoglund's fastball sits in the 88-91 mph range, bumping 93, and has good life down in the zone. Like other tall pitchers, it took him a while to grow into his body, but he has a loose arm and repeats his delivery, leading to a much-improved 86-22 strikeout-walk ratio through 99 innings. Skoglund doesn't have a plus pitch though. He is effective at using his slider, a solid-average pitch, but his changeup lags behind. It has solid movement and he hasn't learned to command it or throw it with enough conviction. Most scouts don't consider Florida pitchers, who play year-round, to be projectable, but Skoglund's body gives some reason to think he could add velocity if he gains strength.