Kyle Hurt

The gap between Hurt’s stuff and performance makes him one of the most divisive prospects in this year’s draft class. Considered a potential first-round pick in high school before a knee injury sidetracked him, Hurt logged a 5.06 ERA in three years at Southern California and even lost his spot in the Trojans' starting rotation at one point. He began to turn a corner at the end of his sophomore year, however, and appeared to be putting things together as a junior this spring before the season shut down. Hurt has an appealing pitcher’s body at 6-foot-3, 215 pounds and has some of the best pure stuff on the west coast. His fastball reaches 95-96 mph as a starter, his changeup is a consensus plus pitch he locates well and his curveball and slider each flash plus at their best. While he throws hard, Hurt's fastball is too straight and plays down due to below-average command, often leaving him to rely on his secondaries. He struggles to put together more than a few good innings at a time and scouts have long held concerns about his work ethic and makeup. The quality of Hurt’s stuff has some teams interested as high the third round, but others are turned off by his history of underperformance and have minimal interest. Those who believe in Hurt see his future as a hard-throwing reliever.