Luke Bartnicki

Bartnicki has an interesting background as an athlete who developed a reputation as an impressive swimmer before he began to progress on the baseball field. A 6-foot-3, 210-pound lefthander, Bartnicki brings physicality to the mound and a broad frame unusual for a swimmer of his caliber, but one that is perfect for a durable arm on the mound. The Georgia Tech commit has reached the mid-90s in shorter stints, but mostly sits in the 89-92 mph range, with natural arm-side run and sink on his fastball from a lower three-quarter arm slot. He has a slider that's been inconsistent this spring, looking like an above-average pitch with late-breaking action at times but also backing up and showing well below-average with poor spin and bite. He's shown solid feel for a low- to mid-80s changeup as well that should become an average offering. Bartnicki has a slightly unorthodox delivery that can get out of sync at times but also leads to above-average deception and helps his fastball play up. The southpaw has a lot of exciting ingredients, such as his size, strength and athleticism. He could take huge steps forward as he gains consistency with his secondaries and refines his delivery.