6 College Pitchers Who Have Improved Their MLB Draft Stock This Season

Griffin Hugus, RHP, Miami

After pitching two seasons for Cincinnati, Hugus opted to enter the portal and returned to his home state. As a starter, Hugus has enjoyed plenty of success to the tune of a 3.68 ERA with a career-high 72 strikeouts to 25 walks across 66 innings. Hugus has an easy, overhead windup—an operation that he repeats well—and attacks from a high-three quarter slot.

He’s relied heavily on his fastball and slider this spring, though he has a solid four-pitch mix. Hugus’ fastball sits in the 91-93 mph range, and it’s been up to 96 with solid carry in the top half of the zone. His mid-80s slider flashes plus, and Hugus does a nice job of manipulating its shape. Against righties, it has a sharp, two-plane look with noticeably more sweep than depth, while against lefties it has more of a gyro shape with more depth than sweep.

Hugus has thrown his curveball just 4% of the time this spring, but it’s distinct in shape. It sits in the mid 70s and pops out his hand, flashing a bigger shape with serious depth. He’s thrown his mid-to-upper-80s changeup also 4% of the time, and it has, at times, flashed both late tumble and some fade to the arm side. Hugus is still gaining a feel for the pitch, though it’s a fine fourth offering. An above-average strike-thrower with a quartet of pitches at his disposal, Hugus looks every bit the part of a starter professionally.

Michael Lombardi, RHP, Tulane

A fairly low-mileage righthander, Lombardi this spring has enjoyed a steady ascension up draft boards and currently boasts a 1.67 ERA with 50 strikeouts to 16 walks across 27 innings. He has an athletic build with present physicality in his lower half and works exclusively out of the stretch. Lombardi has a compact arm stroke and attacks from a high-three quarters slot with plenty of arm speed. It’s an explosive, athletic look, and he relies heavily on his fastball-curveball combination.

Lombardi’s fastball sits in the 92-95 mph range, though it’s been up to 96 and 97 with carry through the zone. It’s at its best—and generates the most swing-and-miss—when located in the top half of the zone, and thus far it’s garnered an impressive 31% miss rate. Lombardi’s curveball flashes plus with big-time depth and sharp, downward tilt. Iit’s a pitch that gets whiffs both in and out of the zone to the tune of a 51% miss rate. He rounds out his arsenal with a seldom-used mid-80s changeup that’s a bit of a work in progress. While Lombardi’s curveball is effective against both right and lefthanded hitters, he’ll need to develop a viable third pitch. 

Lombardi’s pitchability and strike-throwing will need to take a step in the right direction, but there’s plenty to like. He’s a dynamic mover with intriguing stuff and has yet to focus on pitching full-time. Combine that with the fact that he has less than 100 college innings to his name (98), and it would not shock me at all if whichever team selects Lombardi tries to develop him as a starter.

JB Middleton, RHP, Southern Miss

Middleton has been a buzzy arm since his freshman fall, but this is the first season that everything has come together for the righthander, and the results speak for themselves. After pitching almost exclusively out of the bullpen last season, Middleton this spring has headlined the Golden Eagles’ rotation, compiling a 1.86 ERA with 88 strikeouts to just 19 walks in 77.1 innings. Not only is Middleton well on his way to taking home Sun Belt Pitcher of the Year honors, but he’s also trending towards being a top 100 overall pick.

An undersized righthander, Middleton has a simple, slightly up-tempo operation in which he attacks from a three-quarters slot with present arm speed. His fastball sits in the 92-95 mph range, though it’s been up to 97 with some ride through the zone. It’s not a big-time bat-misser and has overall miss and in-zone miss rates of 22% and 18%, respectively, but it’s a comfortably average pitch. In addition to his fastball, Middleton throws a hard gyro slider in the mid-to-upper 80s that takes on more of a cutter look when it’s on the higher end of the aforementioned velocity range. It’s generated a 45% miss rate and, from this chair, grades out as above-average.

Against lefthanded hitters, Middleton will deploy a mid-to-upper-80s changeup. Though it doesn’t get great separation off his fastball, at times it flashes plenty of armside fade and has garnered a 50% miss rate. If Middleton is able to improve his feel for his pitch, its effectiveness will only increase.

While Middleton’s control can still be fringy at times, he’s drastically improved his strike-throwing since last spring. His overall strike percentage has improved from 57% to 66%, including 57% to 67% on fastballs and 58% to 66% on sliders. With a little over two months until the draft, that trend is undoubtedly Middleton’s friend.

Cade Obermueller, LHP, Iowa

Obermueller had draft interest last year after compiling a 3.92 ERA with 73 strikeouts across 59.2 innings, but he opted to return to school. That was certainly the right move, and this spring Obermueller has a 2.51 ERA with a career-high 94 strikeouts to 26 walks in 68 innings. He is on the short list of pitchers in contention to take home conference pitcher of the year honors and has been a force at the front of Iowa’s rotation.

Like most of the other arms in this piece, Obermueller also fits the “undersized” description and is listed at six feet, 170 pounds. He has a high-waisted frame with a lengthy lower half and could put on another 10 pounds. Obermueller works exclusively out of the stretch and starts with his front side closed off. He has a high leg lift and attacks from a tough-to-pick-up low-three quarters slot with crossfire.

Obermueller’s fastball sits in the 92-95 mph range, but it’s topped out at 98 with run and ride through the zone. It jumps out of his hand and plays well when it’s elevated on his arm side. His heater has a solid 29% overall miss rate and 30% chase rate, though its 18% in-zone miss rate is modest. Even so, Obermueller has done a better job of commanding it this season than he did in 2024, and his strike percentage has jumped from 60% to 67%.

Obermueller’s bread-and-butter offering is his upper-70s-to-low-80s slider. It consistently flashes long, sweeping life and is a pitch for which he has an advanced feel. While it’s effective against both lefthanded and righthanded hitters, it’s a particularly difficult look for the former. With Obermueller’s attack angle, he essentially releases the pitch behind the hitter’s back, and it will sometimes finish in the opposite batter’s box. It also gets in on—and under—the hands of righties and has generated a plethora of uncomfortable swings. It’s a comfortably above-average pitch that frequently flashes plus, and this season it’s garnered a 35% miss rate while holding opposing hitters to a measly .138 average.

Obermueller’s control has taken a necessary step in the right direction, and since last season, his overall strike percentage has improved from 57% to 64%. He’s largely a two-pitch guy right now and could end up in the bullpen when all is said and done, but his fastball-slider combination is an enticing one-two punch.

Dominick Reid, RHP, Abilene Christian

Following a two-year stint at Oklahoma State, Reid entered the transfer portal and eventually committed to Abilene Christian. As the anchor of the Wildcats’ rotation, Reid has a 3.97 ERA with 84 strikeouts to 24 walks across 70.1 innings. Listed at 6-foot-3, 210 pounds, he has an athletic frame with some thickness in his lower half. He has a simple delivery in which he deploys a slight side step while attacking from a three-quarters slot with present arm speed.

Reid’s fastball sits in the 91-94 range, and it’s been up to 96. His above-average command of the pitch allows him to maximize its shape, and it consistently flashes ample ride and run through the zone. Unsurprisingly, the pitch is at its best—and generates the most whiffs—when located in the top half of the zone, and this spring it’s garnered a 25% miss rate, 25% chase rate and 18% in-zone miss rate. Reid’s calling card is his low-to-mid-80s changeup that routinely flashes plus with fade to the arm side and late tumble at times. It’s a pitch he throws with conviction to both right and lefthanded hitters, and this season it’s generated a 45% miss rate. Reid rounds out his arsenal with a low-80s slider that is an “under construction” third pitch. An above-average strike-thrower, Reid looks every bit the part of a starter at the next level.

Gage Wood, RHP, Arkansas

Wood has thrown just 14.1 innings this spring due to an injury, but the results have been promising. Through his five appearances—all of which have been starts—he has pitched his way to a 3.77 ERA with 28 strikeouts to just two walks. At six feet tall and 205 pounds, he has a compact and athletic frame with strength throughout. Wood begins his delivery with his body turned towards the third-base side, which then leads into a rocker step and the rest of his motion. He attacks from a three-quarters slot, has plus arm speed and there is an appealing degree of explosiveness to his operation.

Wood relies heavily on his mid-90s fastball—a pitch he throws 67% of the time—and for good reason. It’s a comfortably plus—borderline double-plus—offering that jumps out of his hand and flashes plus riding life. He does a nice job at locating the pitch in the top half of the zone, where it’s flat-out dominant. Wood’s sample size this season is small, but his heater has an impressive 50% miss rate, 29% in-zone miss rate and 35% chase rate. It goes overlooked as one of the best fastballs among all college pitchers in this year’s draft.

Wood pairs his fastball with an above-average, low-to-mid-80s curveball that flashes depth with solid downer shape and present teeth. An above-average strike-thrower, the biggest key going forward for Wood will be developing a third pitch. He’s flashed a mid-to-upper-80s slider and an upper-80s changeup, though the former is ahead of the latter. Like Lombardi, I expect whichever team selects Wood to try and develop him as a starter.