RHP Christian Roa, Texas A&M
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DoB: 4/2/1999.
2020 Stats: 2-1, 5.85 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, 35/9 K/BB in 20 IP.
Texas A&M has had some really good left handed starting pitching prospects recently, with John Doxakis riding a 1.76 ERA as a junior to a second round selection by the Rays in 2019 and Asa Lacy riding a 2.07 career ERA to a likely top five overall selection in 2020. Meanwhile, right hander Christian Roa has pitched in their shadows a bit, putting up a respectable 3.56 ERA and 46/11 strikeout to walk ratio as a sophomore in 2019. While scouts gathered in College Station to watch Lacy throw in 2020, Roa put on a show in his first two starts, striking out 22 and walking just one over eleven innings against Miami of Ohio and Army. Things were a bit more uneven against UCLA and New Mexico State in his next two starts, when he allowed ten runs over nine innings while walking eight, but he has still pitched himself firmly into top 100 consideration.
Roa has an ideal pitcher's frame at 6'4", one he has filled out considerably while he's been in College Station. He throws a low 90's fastball that can get into the mid 90's at times, adding a whole slew of above average offspeed pitches. There's a top to bottom curveball with good depth, a more diagonal slider that can flash plus with its sharp bite, and a very good changeup that he has great feel for. He throws strikes with all four pitches and has a clean delivery, giving him the look of an impact starting pitcher.
So far for Roa, the whole has actually been less than the sum of the parts. He's been pretty hittable throughout his career, as his delivery might be so clean that it causes everything to play down. While all three of his offspeed pitches get great reviews from scouts, they can be inconsistent at times, and his velocity dipped closer to 90 during those last two starts. Roa needs to work on mixing his entire arsenal more effectively if he wants to be effective against more advanced hitters.
Roa has all of the ingredients needed to be an impact starting pitcher. He has the velocity, offspeeds, control, and durable frame to succeed at the highest level. It will take a little bit of creativity from pro coaching to figure out how to put it all together, with some believing he's just *this* close to that and others seeing him as someone who could consistently underperform. Because of that, there are bound to be teams that like him more than others. He probably fits somewhere in rounds two through four, with a good chance to go closer to the front of that range to a team that loves the starter traits he brings.
Pitching against Louisiana Tech in 2018 (most recent video I could find)
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