LHP Jared Shuster, Wake Forest
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DoB: 8/3/1998.
2020 Stats: 2-1, 3.76 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, 43/4 K/BB in 26.1 IP
A year ago, Shuster wasn't much of a pro prospect. With average stuff and average command, he put up a 6.49 ERA as a sophomore at Wake Forest, though his 94 strikeouts in 68 innings were at least a good thing to see. His great changeup that helped him rack up all those strikeouts earned him an invitation to the elite Cape Cod League, where he dramatically honed his command and finished with a 1.36 ERA and a 36/5 strikeout to walk ratio over 33 innings. His fastball still hovered around 90 though, and he remained much more of a day two prospect than a day one guy. That changed this spring, when he added four miles per hour to his fastball and posted an exceptional 43/4 strikeout to walk ratio across 26.1 innings. Though he was knocked around for six runs against Long Beach State on February 22nd, he bounced back two starts later to end his college career with seven innings of one run ball on just four hits, one walk, and thirteen strikeouts against a very tough Louisville lineup.
With his newfound velocity, Shuster now sits in the low to mid 90's with his fastball and has climbed as high as 97, which is great to see from a lefty. His changeup is his main weapon and it always has been, right up there with Asa Lacy's and Logan Allen's as arguably the best lefty changeup in the class. Coming in with low 80's velocity, it fades at the last second and just never seems to reach the plate – at least, it seems that way from the batters box. The one part of his game that is yet to really leap forward is his slider. It's not a bad pitch, per se, but he has yet to really develop a strong feel for it as a true put-away pitch. It can firm up at times or get loopy at others, but he can rattle off some pretty good ones and the hope is that pro coaching can get it to a 50 or a 55 grade more consistently.
Over the summer, Shuster found the strike zone and has been pounding it ever since, with enough time under his belt throwing at this level (59.1 innings between the Cape and the 2020 season with a 79/9 K/BB) that it's safe to put above average command grades on him. That, combined with a durable 6'3" frame and his lefthandedness, gives him more than enough starter's traits to succeed at the next level. His delivery can get a little rigid with a low elbow and he's relatively old for a college junior, turning 22 in August, but that's nitpicking. The main thing he needs to do to become a mid-rotation starter is to get more consistent with the breaking ball, though he could potentially succeed as a #4/#5 starter even if he doesn't.
With the way Shuster has been trending, with the command, then the velocity, spiking up, who's to say the slider can't be next? College lefties are highly sought after, and Shuster has more than enough positives in his profile to overcome a 6.17 career ERA at Wake Forest. He probably fits somewhere in the second round, but he's exactly the kind of pitcher to be a surprise comp round pick. There's #3 starter upside here, and he's well on his way to realizing that potential already.
2020 start vs Long Beach State (home plate view)
2020 start vs Louisville (CF view)
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