Thorpe
Musci

Georgia Tech Commit. 6-foot, 180 pounds. My 1st ever look on Musci was just a month prior to his outing in the State Championship, and his ability to spin a power CB with consistently sharp life was highly impressive. Although he was 89-92 that day, his FB was his 2nd best pitch. Fast forward 30 days to the State Championship and it was a completely different story. Thorpe came out with his hair on fire, pumping FB after FB by Lowndes hitters working mostly in the 92-93 range. Not only was he working in a higher velo range, the life on his FB had increased dramatically. His pitch life went from minimal run to violent bore in all parts of the zone, and the whiffs increased by tenfold or more. With the exception of a couple hits, he truly dominated the game with 1 pitch, and was still touching many 93’s into the 6th INN of his start. His 13 K’s were mostly on FB’s, showing how special the pitch can be when on. The ceiling is endless on his vicious FB/CB combo, but his high octane arsenal has a 3rd pitch that doesn’t get enough credit. His CH works in the 83-84 range with late screwball type action, and it got a handful of whiffs in one of the most important outings of his career so far. 
The pitch pairs extremely well with his FB, but he can also throw it directly off the CB which creates unpredictability. With an explosive drop & drive delivery and legs that look like they were chiseled out of concrete, I truly believe this can be a mid to upper 90’s arm in the future. His fast tempo, lightning quick arm speed, and effortless lead leg block produce an insane slingshot effect as the ball comes out of the hand. Although he currently profiles more as a setup/closer long term, he has 3 pitches that show flashes of greatness and holds velo like a starter. He’s an incredible competitor and we look forward to tracking his progress throughout the next year of his draft process.

Georgia Tech Commit. 6-foot, 185 pounds. Of all the players on either roster, the only player I had never seen in person was Musci. So for weeks I had been looking forward to this matchup and seeing his electric arm in person. He sure didn’t disappoint. Thorpe on the bump is the definition of lightning in a bottle, an aggressive drop & drive delivery with power stuff! But it's not easy to move this explosively, and what stored the power in his delivery is his ability to stack the backside in stride. It’s easy to waste power before landing (by shifting upper half forward in stride) with a drop & drive style, and Musci makes sure to combine that style with a gradual rock to the backside in stride. His compact upper half gets into a power position at foot strike, and he has an innate feel for creating torque from a well timed stretch in separation. His weight distribution at landing is very good (55% backside, 45% front), and allows him to create a violent slingshot effect. The lead leg block is very well timed in relation to his release point, and he really fires through it well. What excites me most about his delivery is that despite being advanced for his age, the lead leg block can get even more consistent and violent on all his pitches. There is no question that the better a pitchers lead leg block gets, the more violent finish/rotation they can produce with the core, chest+shoulders, and arm firing as one. He uses the front arm as a lever extremely well, staying closed in stride with good timing. To make a long story short, I feel Thorpe is going to throw much harder in the next year plus. With knowing how hard Coach Brown has these guys working in the weight room and Musci’s already strong lower half, the stronger he gets the more violent arm speed he will create. Oh yeah, his CB is sharper than a machete flashing wipeout depth and is sure to be a plus pitch in the future.