J.D. Thompson

Analysis
A 6-foot lefty from Vanderbilt, Thompson's fastball sits in the 90-93 mph range (touches 96 mph) but it still played as a plus pitch in the SEC due to his command of the pitch and its impressive induced vertical break. He logged a 4.00 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 24.2 K-BB% in 90 innings as a junior, which was nearly identical to how he performed in 2024, albeit in just 52 innings. Thompson's secondary pitches vary from average to above-average, and it's possible he'll work to sharpen up those offerings and maybe remove one of his breaking balls from the mix. He should make it as a No. 4 starter in the big leagues if he continues to build off this year's career-best workload.