Austin Becker

Becker is a high-upside Ohio righthander committed to Vanderbilt who has been on scouts' radars for some time thanks to his travel ball accomplishments and an exciting three-pitch mix. Listed at 6-foot-6, Becker has reached 96 mph with his fastball, although he more regularly pitches in the upper 80s and low 90s throughout his starts. He also has a curveball and changeup that have both shown the looks of plus offerings, but aren't as consistent as scouts would like to see. He throws a mid-70s breaking ball that shows occasional two-plane break at the higher velocity ranges, but he regularly gets on the side of the pitch. His changeup is a firm, mid-80s offering without significant separation from his fastball, but it remains effective thanks to Becker's arm speed and the pitch's tumble in the bottom of the zone. With long arms and legs, Becker has had some strike-throwing questions at times, but for the most part he does a nice job of keeping the moving parts in his delivery in sync. He also has a quick pickoff move and makes more plays in front of the mound than many prep arms. With his projectable build and plus arm speed there's a lot to dream on with Becker, and if he does make it to Vanderbilt it would be easy to envision him developing into a first-round talent.