Austin
Strickland

Cape Cod: A fixture in the UK bullpen over the last two springs, Strickland made three starts among his 10 appearances for Hyannis this summer, finishing with a 4.05 ERA and a 31-9 K-BB mark in 26.2 innings. He's an accomplished strike-thrower with a slingy three-quarters arm action and a durable 6-2, 205-pound frame, and he showed a quality four-pitch arsenal that should play in a starting role next spring for the Wildcats. We saw Strickland attack the zone at 91-94 mph for five innings, with higher spin rates in the 2300s to 2500s. His best secondary pitch was a three-quarters curveball at 75-79 with solid depth and bite, but he also got a couple of strikeouts with a promising but inconsistent slider at 80-84, with short action. He even mixed in an 85-88 changeup to get soft rollover contact against lefties.

6-foot-1, 190-pound frame with room to add. Good mover on the mound with an athletic, easier delivery. Already shows respectable velocity sitting 83-85, touching 87 mph and is an obvious candidate for more velocity to come. Breaking ball was well above average stuff wise, coming in on an 11/5 plane with a solid combination of depth/sharpness at 74-75 mph. Flashed the ability to toss the pitch in the zone but will need to be there more consistently. Stickland is a guy who just continues to get better each time we see him and shows all the signs of that trend continuing, especially velo wise. 

Body Type: 6-foot-1 195-pound prospect shows long limbs and a projectable frame. 
Mechanical/Delivery Notes: Throws from a lower ¾ arm action with a somewhat long arm action in the back. Pretty aggressive finish to his delivery. 
Fastball: 82-85 mph fastball was mostly true through the zone but did come back with some arm side life at times. 
Breaking Ball: 71-72 mph breaking ball showed showed slider action and shape. Pitch came out on fastball plane with sharp lateral movement. Quality offering. 
Changeup: 75-77 mph changeup showed limited lateral movement but did show decent depth. We’ve seen the pitch grade out higher at previous events. 
Pitchability: Good feel for his fastball and changeup to both sides of the plate. Slider was a pitch thrown predominantly to the glove side. 
Role: Shows the ability to be a starter type at the high school level, but at the next level probably profiles best as a bullpen arm. Slider is a legit pitch. His slider coupled with his lower ¾ arm slot will make him a good bullpen arm who can get righties and lefties out. Scholarship programs should follow this spring. 

6-foot-1 and 200-pound right-handed pitching prospect with a physical build. Strickland works at a slower tempo with a drop and drive type delivery finishing in-line with regular effort. Uses a long arm action through a low-3/4 slot. Only two pitches were offered on this day. A 76-79 MPH fastball that showed slight arm side run for strikes. Also showed good feel for a 63-66 MPH breaking ball that has slurvy action. Two-way prospect. A righty swinger that starts in a taller setup. Hands stay simple during his controlled stride forward. Launches from a balanced setup and takes a level path to the baseball. Strength is more apparent to hands than speed at this stage. Ball comes off well, squaring up to the middle of the field. Middle of the lineup type bat. In the outfield he plays under control too and through the baseball. Fields the ball well on his glove foot side. Arm is loose, projecting for more strength as he matures physically.

Home to First: 5.13
Outfield Velocity: 78
Exit Velocity: 85