Kevin Abel

One of the most polarizing players in the class among talent evaluators, Abel arrived on the scene with an impressive 2018 season that culminated in him winning Freshman of the Year honors (8-1, 2.88, 12.0 K/9 in 81.1 innings). He also became the first player in NCAA history to earn four wins at the College World Series, including a two-hitter in the title game against Arkansas. Since then, Abel has been hampered by injuries, dealing with back injuries and having Tommy John surgery during the 2019 season. He missed the shortened 2020 campaign, but still ranked as the No. 124 player in the draft class. Abel put up strong numbers this season heading into regionals (3-4, 3.42, 12.1 K/9), but he’s struggled with his command and control, leading to a career-worst walk rate (6.0). Abel has a three-pitch mix headlined by a plus changeup and an above-average-to-plus curveball, with some deception in his delivery that allows his fastball to play up and has led to opponents hitting .167 against him this season. Normally, his fastball sits in the 89-92 mph range, but it’s been down to 86-88 mph with bad command this season, leading to some concerns among scouts. The 6-foot-2, 195-pound righthander draws rave reviews for his competitiveness and makeup and he’s still shown he can get batters out while relying mostly on his changeup and curveball, but the questions regarding his fastball velocity could lead to him sliding on draft day.