Sam Weatherly

Weatherly's loose, quick arm and projectable frame got him drafted in the 27th round by the Blue Jays out of his Michigan high school. He instead went to Clemson where he filled out, added strength and significantly improved his breaking ball over three years. A two-way player as a freshman, Weatherly focused solely on pitching in the Tigers' bullpen in 2019 and emerged as their Friday night starter in 2020. He posted a 0.79 ERA in four starts before the season shut down. Now standing 6-foot-4, 205 pounds, Weatherly has loud stuff from the left side. His fastball sits in the 92-94 mph range and reaches 95-96 mph regularly, while his slider gives him a second potential plus offering. He throws a changeup as well, but it’s a distant third pitch. Weatherly projects as a reliever for many teams because of his lack of a third pitch and below-average control, which manifested in 5.56 walks per nine in 2020. Weatherly is a solid athlete, so others believe he could improve his control enough to be a starter in pro ball. Even if he ends up a reliever, his stuff is loud enough from the left side to carve out a career in a major league bullpen.