JUCO Wire: Uncommitted Pitchers
March 19, 2024
With many JUCO programs in the middle of their season, and many others just getting started, the JUCO Wire staff has put together a list of uncommitted talents across the country to highlight, and today we're highlighting high-level arms that are still on the market.
+ RHP Tanner Wiggins (Weatherford):
From (1/27/24): “The talented freshman came out of the ‘pen on opening day, and showed some big-time stuff for the Coyotes. The 6-foot-2 right-hander came out aggressively with a two-pitch mix that was borderline dominant. The fastball sat 94-95 mph the entire outing and he touched a couple of 96s. It is a quick arm, and he moves well down the mound. He showed command to his glove-side with the offering, and as we get deeper into the season I could see the velo ticking up even more. He also threw an improved mid-80s slider that looked sharper than in previous looks. Wiggins got some bad swings out of the zone with the pitch, and it looks to be his put-away offering. He flashed one changeup to an LHH and got a swing and a miss for a strikeout. It has flashed avg. when he has thrown it and will become useful if he is to start some games this spring. Overall, a very impressive college debut for Wiggins.
"The freshman right-hander has broken out as one of the top pitchers on the JUCO circuit as he has struck out 24 batters across 14.2 innings while maintaining a 1.84 ERA. Wiggins’ stock continues to rise two months into the season garnering attention from four years but also pro looks as the season continues."
+ LHP Jack Pavlovsky (Cypress):
From (2/2/24): “Pavlovsky had a very impressive outing showing athleticism in his delivery with a clean arm action and a low effort delivery. The lefthander started the day off with an electric first inning then battled through traffic in the second inning before rounding out the day with a couple more electric innings. Pitching off a fastball at 89-91 mph touching 92 with riding life out of the hand then mixing in a 74-76 curveball which flashes power to the break with swing-and-miss action and a good feel for spinning it consistently. Finally rounds out his arsenal with a quality 78-80 changeup which he throws with fastball arm speed and shows deception. Pavlovsky picked up nine K’s in the outing while only giving up one hit. The frame, body control, athleticism, relatively easy operation to the delivery with feel for three pitches Pavlovsky looks like a future starter at the four-year level who could pitch towards the front of a four-year rotation.
"Pavlosky through eight starts has struck out 43 batters in 33.1 innings and looks the part of a future starter at the next level. An athlete with more projection left in his 6-foot-1, 175-pound frame suggests that there is more left in the tank for the left-hander."
+ RHP Landon Carr (Gaston):
From (2/7/24): “No. 84 in the Prep Baseball Top 150 JUCO Prospect Preseason List. Has added strength to his 6-foot-2 frame. Stretch only, simple delivery working level and on-line to the plate. Full arm action with length getting to a high 3/4 slot. Attacked with a fastball that pounded the down zone beating bats at 90-92 mph, with arm side run when we went to the arm side. On the glove side, the fastball played heavy creating soft contact and lazy fly balls. Slider at 78-82 with 10/4 tilt and shape and played with late action at times thrown out of a similar window as the fastball. Save in both games, working 2 innings in the Friday double-header. Recorded six outs, facing six hitters.
"Carr has been a reliable presence for Gaston out of the ‘pen picking up three saves in his 12 appearances and has struck out 20 batters in 15 innings."
+ RHP Alex Breckheimer (Bryant & Stratton, WI):
From (3/15/24): “Breckheimer has established himself as a name-to-know JUCO arm in the Midwest. The 6-foot-5, 240-pound right-hander is a quality mover down the mound with violent arm speed has continued to show improvement in front of our staff in each look. Now 89-92 mph (T94) with his fastball that plays with rise-and-run traits at the top of the zone that generates whiffs. His two breaking balls have also improved since the fall both with swing-and-miss qualities and flashing above-average, his low-70s curveball plays with sharp break and tunneling qualities, and his low-80s slider played with depth and produced multiple swings-and-misses in this look. He showed a usable low-80s changeup that was effective against left-handed hitters.”
+ RHP Hayden Trier (Lincoln Trail):
From (9/28/23): “Trier is an athletic right-hander standing in at 6-foot-3, 210-pounds. During his ‘pen Trier showed feel for his four-pitch mix, starting with a sinker that he ran up to 92.8 mph and sat 91-92 throughout that averaged 4.7 inches of IVB and 20 inches of run. He also showed feel to land a mid-80s cutter in the zone with above-average spin (2,534 rpm max) and a low-80s slider (2,606 rpm max). To round out his arsenal, Trier threw a low- to mid-80s changeup that averaged over 17 inches of horizontal break.”
+ RHP Virot Siharath (Iowa Western):
From (2/9/24) “The right-handed-pitcher from Ontario got the opening day start for the Reivers on Friday in Tyler, TX. The 5-foot-10 freshman showed a big fastball that ranged from 90-94 with carry through the zone that played well at the top of the zone, played with well above-average spin, and was north of 2500+ rpm’s. He also threw a tight breaking ball that has a chance to be a swing-and-miss offering forward. He didn’t command it great but when he did, it flashed above average. Siharath is an athlete on the mound with big arm talent that will continue to play throughout his college career.
"Siharath has struck out 12 batters across the first seven innings of his college career. His stuff hasn’t translated into success in the early going, walking 11 batters thus far, Siharath has the talent to be a contributor going forward."
+ RHP Noah Scott (Iowa Western):
From (2/9/24) “The best relief outing on Friday out of the four games belongs to Scott. The 6-foot-4 freshman from Colorado showed high-end stuff that played up with his strike-throwing ability. His fastball sat 90-92 mph with arm side run. He was able to command his heater in the zone and use both sides of the plate with the pitch. He generated weak contact often and got plenty of uncomfortable swings. He followed up the fastball with a changeup that has plus potential and was able to kill the spin on it, and it played like a splitter. The bottom really fell off with late depth and it fell out of the zone. He also showed a useful slider as well to round off his three-pitch mix. Overall, a notable performance for Scott.
"Scott has been used in multiple different roles to start off his collegiate career, seeing time as both a starter and reliever and thriving in both. The right-hander has pitched to a 1.33 ERA across 20.1 innings while striking out 26 batters. Scott’s stuff should continue to tick up as he matures into his lean 6-foot-4 frame.
+ RHP Colton Cross (Tyler):
From (2/9/24): “The freshman right-hander got the start for the Apaches in Game one on Friday. The East Texas native showed high-end stuff, displaying a four-pitch mix that has swing-and-miss potential. The fastball sat 90-93 mph with some late life and hop through the zone. He was more control over command but the fastball can navigate a good lineup multiple times through. He also had a good feel for spin with the ability to throw two different breaking balls, a mid-70s curveball and a hard slider in the low-80s that with plus spin characteristics reaching over 2700 rpm’s. He flashed a firm changeup as well rounding off his repertoire. As the season goes on, Cross is going to be relied on as a big contributor for Tyler.”
Cross the 6-foot-1 right-hander and former PBR Future Gamer has a high-octane arsenal that leads to plenty of strikeouts as he struck out 35 batters across 30.2 innings thus far in his college career.
+ RHP Douglas Bauer (Tyler):
From (2/9/24): “Bauer was electric for the Apaches out of the pen. The 6-foot-4 righty showed a heavy fastball in the 91-94 mph range. He threw it with confidence and showed the ability to command to both sides of the plate. He followed that up with a hard slider that he got multiple swings-and-misses with. He also sprinkled in a split that he killed the spin on and buried at the bottom of the zone. He was a big reason Tyler was able to win the nightcap against Blinn.”
Bauer serves as a primary reliever and sees most of his time during higher-leverage situations picking up three saves across nine appearances. Bauer has strikeout stuff and has struck out 18 batters in 11 innings, challenging opposing hitters with his three-pitch mix.
+ RHP Karter Muck (Central Arizona):
"Muck was impressive in front of our scouts early this season with his fastball-slider combination. His fastball was up to 95 mph in our look, with life through the strike zone, and it played up at the top of the zone where it earned swings and misses. He was able to land his slider in the zone, which is his go-to offspeed pitch, and it has flashed sharp movement and he has the ability to land it for a strike. Muck tends to pick up strikeouts in bunches, as he has struck out 31 batters in 26 innings across seven appearances and four starts, going 4-0 overall. He's a high-level athlete with plenty of projection left in his lanky and lean frame and a strikeout arsenal that is still uncommitted."