Ryan Lillie

Lillie was recruited to UC Riverside as a catcher but was converted to pitching by coach Troy Percival, who famously made the same transition as a minor leaguer in the early 1990s. Lillie developed into a shutdown closer but began starting in conference play as a junior. He raised his stock significantly with a dominant turn in the rotation. Lillie sits 92-95 mph and reaches 97 with his fastball, and holds his velocity deep into games. He mixes in an above-average, low 80s slider and shows feel for an average changeup. Lillie pounds the strike zone but works up in the zone more than some evaluators would like. Part of that is him fine-tuning his command as someone relatively new to pitching. Lillie further draws glowing reviews for his competitiveness, maturity and poise on the mound. He has a chance to be a mid-rotation starter, but also projects well as a shutdown back-end reliever.