RHP JT Ginn, Mississippi State
Full index of profiles here
DoB: 5/20/1999.
2020 Stats: 0-0, 6.00 ERA, 1.67 WHIP, 4/2 K/BB in 3 IP
Ginn lasted just three innings into the 2020 season before going down with Tommy John surgery, but he remains one of the top arms in a loaded class with nobody else playing anyways. A top prospect coming out of Brandon High School in the Jackson, Mississippi suburbs, Ginn went 30th overall to the Dodgers in 2018 but ended up in Starkville after the two could not come to an agreement on a contract. The Dodgers were buying the upside in his powerful right arm, though at the time, he had significant reliever risk. He dramatically elevated his profile with a fantastic freshman 2019, putting up a 3.36 ERA, a 1.08 WHIP, and a 103/18 strikeout to walk ratio over 80.1 innings against Mississippi State's tough schedule.
In high school, Ginn was a power arm with a big fastball and a good but inconsistent slider. That, plus some effort in his delivery, caused many to peg him as a reliever. However, a year at Mississippi State did absolute wonders for him. He still has that same big fastball, sitting in the low to mid 90's deep into his starts with the ability to reach back for the upper 90's. That slider has gotten more consistent and is a plus pitch more often than not, coming in with both velocity and late, downward bite that makes it very tough to square up. His changeup is also significantly improved, rounding out his arsenal with an exclamation point. His delivery is also better, and he's throwing with significantly less effort than he was a year ago. That has helped his command improve from fringe-average to safely above, making him a truly complete pitcher.
Ginn was hurdling towards the top ten picks before he got hurt, but his trajectory was so strongly upward that he still fits firmly in the first round despite the surgery. Especially now that the college season was cancelled and the pro season is in jeopardy, his Tommy John surgery may alter his development barely any more than the lost season does for other players. He projects as a #2 starter at the major league level with a very good chance of cracking a rotation either way, and if you can't tell, he's one of my favorite arms in this class. I'll admit that I wasn't his biggest fan in high school, but he's a different pitcher now and I was wrong. As a draft-eligible sophomore (his May birthday is more appropriate for a college junior), he has a lot of leverage, which he may be inclined to use if enough teams are scared off by his surgery. With three potential plus pitches, improving command, and a clean delivery, he's one of the most complete pitchers in a class brimming with pitching, and he's going to be very, very good.
Carving up Florida hitters in 2019
No comments:
Post a Comment