Nate
Kusner

One of my favorite arms in the class. Three-pitch, starter profile that dotted the zone throughout his outing. Athletic guy with a very smooth delivery that he can repeat. A bit undersized but arm really works and he almost certainly has more mphs to come. Isn’t afraid to work in with the fastball that sat 84-85 mph and touched 87 mph once (rapsodo). Both secondary offerings are quality and he uses them equally. Changeup has some dip to it and breaking ball has later bite on an 11/5 plane. Going to be a good one at the next level. 

Body Type: 5-foot-11, 150-pound thin frame with room to add.
Mechanical/Delivery Notes: Very clean delivery with athletic movement patterns. Everything works. Clean arm with easy velocity.
Fastball: 85-86 mph with much more to come. High spin rate guy with jump out of the hand.
Curveball: 72-73 mph. Much improved since we saw it last. Spins it well on an 11/5 plane with a nice combination of depth and action. His best secondary offering.
Changeup: 77-78 mph. Playable offering with similar run to the fastball with a bit extra dive.
Pitchability: Through the roof. Has feel for all three and can move the ball around the zone.
Additional Comments: One of my favorite arms left on the board in the ‘2020 class. Uber clean delivery with easy velo and more to come.

A sleeper prospect in the 2020 class with pitchability through the roof and all the signs of more velocity to come. Very mobile on the mound with obvious athleticism.  Arm is clean/loose through a high-¾ slot. Displayed advanced feel for his breaker, tossing it in any count. The pitch moves on an 11/5 plane with late action at 67-68 mph. Sat 82-83 mph with the fastball but don’t be shocked if he’s consistently in the mid 80s by next spring. Dominant outing with his last pitch of the day tying his top velocity recorded.

Uncommitted. Exhibiting wiry-athleticism on the mound, the 5-foot-11, 160-pound Kusner still appears to be growing, and given his whippy-quick right arm, he may continue to add velocity with that growth. Performing a rhythmic delivery that allowed his arm to work freely out of a high ¾ slot, Kusner delivered fastballs at 80-83 throughout much of his outing. The ball jumped through the zone, and seemed to get on hitters in a hurry as he showed feel for the pitch, especially to the glove side. While the 68-70 breaking ball was thrown with a bit less arm speed, he demonstrated the ability to spin the ball well, and the 11/5 shape that it took had two-tier break. Still very young looking, Kusner may have a chance to make a jump in the future.

On the bump the righty looks smooth and athletic. Arm works well through a high-¾ slot and delivery is very easy. Ball comes out well, sitting 79-81 mph. Very polished in general with physical signs point to more velocity to come. Changeup is throw with near fastball arm speed at 71-72 mph. Looks comfortable with the pitch, filling up the bottom of the strike zone. Also spins a breaking ball that shows signs of sharpness with present depth at 68-70. Starts the pitch in the heart of the plate before breaking it out of the strike zone. In the infield he plays with rhythm and times his feet well to get the hop he wants. Mechanically sound with the ability to play through the baseball while maintaining tempo/momentum. Glove works in/out of funnel with actions appearing more fluid on the move. At the plate he uses a slight back load with his hands during his short stride for timing. Launches from a balanced setup with bat working on a mostly level plane. Hands show more speed than strength through the zone presently. A contact type guy who showed line drive abilities through his middle-away approach.

60-yard dash: 7.91
Infield Velocity: 78
Exit Velocity: 77