Jake
Howell

6-foot, 170 pounds. Thanks to bad luck with the weather at Future Games, one of our favorite arms wasn’t able to be at his best stuff wise in Game 3. Anyone who has pitched before knows how it can impact velocity when a pitcher gets fully hot and the adrenaline is pumping, only to be shut down for over an hour after he was locked in and ready fire. Even under bad circumstances, Howell’s delivery was able to really get in sync once he faced a couple hitters. It’s truly special to watch him once he gets on a roll. High spin cut ride FB’s that dart above barrels or inside hands, sweeping CB’s with big shape that he can throw to both edges for strikes at anytime, and a ridiculously sharp SL that snaps off the table in the blink of an eye. What I love most about Howell is his ability to get outs even without his best stuff or control. The delivery is so deceptive and the arsenal is so unique that he’s able to work his way through a line up even on the days where he’s not as sharp. His ability to get outs vs RHH shows he has starter potential in college, and his floor is extremely safe as he’s at worst a high leverage reliever who is going to dominate LHH with two of the best breaking balls in college baseball one day. Whoever has a track record with him from this summer and prior knows they will be getting an absolute steal if they invest in him August 1st.

Jake Howell, Wilcox County (GA), 2025
Positional Profile: LHP/OF
Body: 6-0, 175-pounds.
Delivery: Very well sequenced delivery that stacks over the rubber with good timing. Unique coil creates deception and shows back to hitter. Impressive body control for the current size, repeatedly lands in line to the plate with good direction. Hip/shoulder separation is vast, good length in the stride for height. Pitches with intent on all 3 pitches and standout confidence.
Arm Action: LH. Fluid one piece arm action that builds momentum perfectly. Big arm swing he repeats impeccably with clean elbow lift and optimal scap load. Stays well connected with largest muscles on backside, arm speed should jump as strength does.
FB: T86, 84-85 mph. Cut ride to glove side, nearing bore to arm side. Plays well at top and bottom of zone. Lots of whiffs. T2328, 2228 average rpm.
CB: 71-73 mph. Sweeping CB with tight rotation and consistent 2 plane depth. The best of both worlds horizontally and vertically. Very consistent shape. Tunnels well off cut ride FB up. T2745, 2686 average rpm.
CH: 76-80 mph. Fade and depth, sells it well. Tunnels off glove side FB. T1542, 1469 average rpm.

Positional Profile: LHP/OF Everything he throws is high rpm. Lots of feel to pitch, confident southpaw.
Body: 6-0, 165-pounds. Proportional medium frame with long levers for height.
Delivery: Unique, well sequenced delivery stacks over rubber with good back side connection in stride. He stays behind the ball very well with good direction in his base, allowing him to attack the glove side edge without creating any cut.
Arm Action: LH. Loose, full circle from high 3/4 slot.
FB: T84, 82-84 mph. Carry, late tail. T2444, 2407 average rpm.
CB: 67-70 mph. two plane CB with tight rotation and sharp vertical shape. Air bender. Late HZB T2704, 2632 average rpm.
SL: 70-72 mph. short break, sweep. T2699, 2614 average rpm.
CH: 74-75 mph. Fade & depth. T1927, 1800 average rpm.

GA Preseason All State

Howell was one of the arms that “blew up” due to his performance. He put himself on the “Spin Rate Master” Watch List with eye popping amounts of RPM’s. With D1 schools not able to recruit again until the end of the dead period (March 1st), Howell garnered heavy interest from D1 schools after his tweet was put out from PAS23. The FB hovered into the zone in the 2400 (T2444) range with considerable carry up in the zone, with some tail arm side. He has impressive feel for the pitch and attacks both edges with it. He stays behind the ball very well with good direction in his base, allowing him to attack the glove side edge without creating any cut. Consistent use in all 4 quadrants with this pitch will continue to make the rest of his repertoire even more devastating. Although his four pitch arsenal is pretty balanced and rapidly developing, the 68-71 CB right now is what stands out most. This is a true air bender that averaged 2631 RPM (T2703). It’s a two plane CB with tight rotation and sharp vertical shape. There’s also some HZB to the pitch, giving it added finish (for S & M) even if it’s well tracked by a hitter. He located the pitch time and time again glove side, a pitch that will create equally bad swings to both RHH & LHH. If that's not enough, he also has a shorter SLV/SL in the low 70’s at 2700 RPM as well! It’s a shorter, later breaking version of the CB with more sweep, and is easier to locate back door to RHH. This pitch has exciting potential and only adds to the sequences he can create for unpredictability. Last but not least is his 75-76 CH with equal parts fade and depth. It’s a very good pairing with his arm side FB and gives him potential for a true four pitch mix, a rarity even at the college level.