By Shooter Hunt
National Crosschecker
@ShooterHunt

Every school in the country is constantly on the lookout for impact or projectable arms. They comb the summer circuit in search for the right and left-handers who will hopefully one day guide them to Omaha. In this edition of, On the Hunt, projectable right-handed pitchers from North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Texas are featured. Each one presents some attributes of being a potential, future impact arm, and should be monitored closely by recruiters. The players on the list range from 2018-2021.

 

 

Cason Wachel RHP / Montgomery, TX / 2018 Wachel’s 6-foot-4, 190-pound frame screams projection as it features wide shoulders and long limbs. Combine that with a quick, strong arm, and I believe Wachel has a chance to throw very hard in the future. Producing throws of 94 mph from the outfield, Wachel was able to show off some athleticism and arm strength at a recent PBR Texas event. When he hopped on the mound, he comfortably sat 86-88 during a bullpen (while trying not to slip on a turf mound). Wachel delivers out of a ¾ slot after putting together an evenly paced delivery that he repeats with ease. He shows feel for a changeup with late-fading action in the zone at 80 mph along with an 11/5 breaking ball at 73 mph. I think Wachel has a chance to progress at a rapid rate with more innings spent on the mound. His athleticism will carry him as his body continues to fill out, and I expect him to become a strong part of some school’s recruiting class in the future.

 

 

Tyler Strickland RHP / 1B / Gray's Creek, NC / 2020 With the extension that the 6-foot-6, 180-pound Strickland gets out front, his 82 mph fastball must look harder to the batter standing in the box. The young right-hander is long-limbed and lean, and is just starting to grow into his frame. As his elastic body gets down the mound and delivers the pitch out of a higher ¾ slot, his hand nearly scrapes the ground as he gets over his front leg. There is looseness to Strickland’s arm, and the quickness that he exhibits leads me to believe that there is more velocity on the way, especially as he gets stronger. His changeup is thrown with is thrown with near fastball hand speed at 68-72, and shows fading action while being thrown for strikes. His breaking ball is a developing 10/4 pitch, but he does show the ability to throw for strikes. Overall, I really like Strickland’s athleticism along with the angle that he creates with his tall frame, and I think he is going to throw harder in the future. Good one to follow moving forward, and has a chance to make a big jump in the near future.