Jeff Criswell

Criswell showed promising stuff at the 2016 East Coast Pro Showcase. There, Criswell's fastball hit 94 early on in his outing before settling in at 87-91 in his second inning. This spring, Criswell hasn't quite taken the next step forward that some evaluators were hoping for. He has a live arm and his arm speed portends future velocity. Criswell has a high leg kick and suspect balance over the rubber, something he should be able to correct as he gets stronger and fills in his frame. He has a long arm swing with a deep wrap in the back and has trouble repeating his arm slot. Criswell's breaking ball flashes sharp 12-to-6 action, though the lateness of its break lacks consistency and he will sometimes release the pitch early. He buries a low 80s changeup at times and has shown some tumbling action on the pitch. Scouts would like to see Criswell get stronger and become more deceptive. He has a projectable 6-foot-3 with wide, squared off shoulders that could add muscle to his current 185-pound frame. He's likely headed for college; he could be an intriguing prospect after three years at Michigan.