Jonathan
Cannon

2022 MLB Draft: Standing 6-foot-6, 215 pounds with an over-the-head delivery and similar release point, he reminds of Major Leaguer Charlie Morton. Like the Braves' right-hander, Cannon has a weapon in his sinker that averages 93-94 and touches 96. He lives down in the zone with the pitch which also shows above average run and can be explosive to his armside at times. Its horizontal movement from a higher release point is more rare for a sinkerballer since a 6-foot release height typically produces more back spin than the side spin needed for sink. Cannon also offers a low-80s slider that is effective, missing barrels and keeping hitters off-balance and he locates an upper-80s cutter to both sides of the plate. His seldom-used fourth pitch, but extremely effective change-of-pace arrives in the mid-80s with some late fade. With four above average pitches for strikes, Cannon's separator is his control with just 12 walks in 78.1 innings this season and a career 1.59 BB/9 IP rate. Furthermore, he is the only 2022 draft-eligible prospect that appears on both the Heat Sheet and Control Artists. For a point of reference, the only prospect who appeared on both lists last season was another sinker-slider righty, Michael McGreevy (UCSB) who went 18th overall to the St Louis Cardinals. As one of the top three college starting pitchers in our draft rankings, Cannon, if fully healthy after experiencing a forearm strain early in the season, is a likely mid-Day One selection.

After an eye-opening start against Mississippi State in Week Five (8 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 9 SO), Cannon returned to the mound for an encore in Lexington. Standing 6-foot-6, 215 pounds with an over-the-head delivery and similar release point, he reminds me of Major Leaguer Charlie Morton. On a cold evening with temperatures dipping into the low-40s, his performance against the Wildcats (7 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 6 SO) wasn't as spectacular as the previous Friday, but it was certainly strong. His main weapon was a sinker that averaged 93-94 and tickled 96. He lived down in the zone with the pitch that also showed above average run. It was explosive to his armside at times, diving under bats for empty swings. Its horizontal movement (17" average, 20" maximum) from a higher release point is more rare for a sinkerballer since a 6-foot release height typically produces more back spin than the side spin needed for sink. What is scary is that his sinker could add more depth by reducing the spin (current 2310 avg rpm). He also brought a low-80s slider (2630 rpm average spin rate) that wasn't the same quality to what was reported against Mississippi State, but it was still effective missing barrels and keeping hitters off-balance. He also located an upper-80s cutter (2585 rpm average spin rate) to both sides of the plate. Of the 14 cutters he threw, four resulted in outs. His cutter and slider played very well off his sinker, making recognizing a pitch difficult for a hitter. His seldom-used, but extremely effective change-of-pace arrived at 84-86 with some late fade. Of the four changeups he threw, two recorded outs. With four above average pitches for strikes, plus command of his arsenal is his separator. Overall, he displayed this command in every inning, except the seventh when he lost his delivery a bit and began pulling off. Other than that last inning, the right-hander repeated a polished delivery with a slightly closed landing which created a good cross-fire angle on all of his offerings. With a quick take away of the ball out of his glove and late arm acceleration, his arm action added some sneak to his stuff. For the fifth time in six starts this season, he did not walk a batter. His ONLY walk so far this season was an intentional walk against Georgia Tech in Week Three. He is the only 2022 draft-eligible prospect that appears on both the Heat Sheet and Control Artists. For a point of reference, the only prospect who appeared on both lists last season was another sinker-slider righty, Michael McGreevy (UCSB) who went 18th overall to the St Louis Cardinals. As one of the top three college starting pitchers in our draft rankings Cannon is living up to our preseason ranking of No. 37 on the Draft Board, which equates to the Supplemental 1st round. Expect Cannon to be drafted a few picks below Justin Campbell (Oklahoma State). Campbell was featured in Week Three of College Crosscheck.

Cannon was a quick in-and-out on the Cape, as the 2021 draft-eligible sophomore gave evaluators one last 3-start look ahead of this year’s draft (ultimately electing to come back to the Bulldogs for next year). The tall, high-waisted righty tosses from a low-three-quarters slot, generating sinking action on both his low-to-mid-90s heater and mid-80s changeup. Both offerings do a better job missing barrels than bats at present, but project as potential above-average Major League weapons. His breaker is a low-to-mid-80s slider that can be tough to land on the corners given its action and angle, making it most useful as a chase pitch when ahead. The motion is simple and well-paced, though the righty may be well-served to experiment some with arm-slot to find a more effective attack with his breaking ball to aid in swing-and-miss production, so long as such a change doesn’t negatively impact the effectiveness of his fastball and offspeed. As the profile currently stands, Cannon looks the part of a back-end starter reliant on soft contact, but could bump his stock by next summer if he can figure out a way to miss more bats. He’ll continue to get plenty of pro eyes on him as a returning weekend arm on a talented Georgia club.

2021 MLB Draft: The results have been somewhat mixed for Cannon through his two irregular seasons at Georgia. He was an intriguing get for the Bulldogs, and he flew under the radar while Georgia's pair of aces stole the show in 2020, but the floor was Cannon's in 2021. Unfortunately, he missed the first few weeks of the season with mononucleosis, which didn't help him hit the ground running in Athens as a sophomore ready to take on a larger staff role. As a dominant reliever last year, Cannon was more frequently living in the 95-96 mph range. This past spring as a starter, Cannon was sitting at a heavy 93-94 mph, while showing the feel for a couple quality breaking balls, in addition to a changeup that projects as his best secondary long term. Georgia eased him into action, and he looked like the first-round type of talent in a couple of key SEC outings, against Vanderbilt and Ole Miss, once he appeared to be back to 100 percent. As a draft prospect, Cannon's sturdy size, broad shoulders, make it easy to envision him supporting the kind of strength gain that would generate an increase in velocity, bolstering an already impressive skillset of strike-throwing abilities and pure stuff.

Second-year freshman who is draft eligible by age, at 6-foot-6, 200-pounds Cannon is long bodied, athletic and projectable. He has broad shoulders and there's plenty of room for added weight/strength. It’s easy to envision him throwing in the upper 90s someday in the not-too-distant future. Ran it up to 96 on this look with sink down in zone and armside run. Showed feel for two quality breaking pitches and a future plus changeup. His most often used off speed pitch was an 84-87 mph slider. Showed longer shape, except at higher velos (86-87) when it showed quick dart action with solid tilt. Also mixed a 80-81 CB. Had shape, depth and velo, just lacked power to the finish. Will likley improve to plus pitch in the future. Mixed a firm 87-89 mph changeup with good sink and arm speed that he threw against righties as well as lefties. Combines stuff with feel and strike-throwing abilities. Projects as a front of the rotation arm and top 10 overall pick.

One of the crown jewels of Georgia’s pitching-rich 2019 recruiting class, Cannon was dominant out of the bullpen as a freshman this spring, posting a 0.00 ERA and a 12-2 K-BB mark in 11.1 innings over five appearances. He’ll be a draft-eligible sophomore in 2021 and has first-round potential. A 6-foot-6, 207-pound with a lightning-quick arm, Cannon pounded away at 94-95 and bumped 96 in our fall look, flashing a plus slider at 82-85 and an excellent changeup with good arm speed at 86. He has the ability to pump strikes with all three pitches, and his arm works easy. Expect Cannon to move into a starting role next spring, and if he thrives in that capacity he could jump into the top 10 picks in the draft.

Took the ball to open things up for the Brewers. He worked easy from a ¾ slot. Fastball ranged 87-91 mph, mostly 88. Worked both sides of the plate. Solid sink when down in the zone. Near average slider at 80-84 mph. Also mixed in changeup with some tumble at 79-83 mph. Faced the minimum nine batters in three innings of work. Threw six first-pitch strikes. Allowed only one base runner on an E-6, who was then erased on a caught stealing.