RHP Zach McCambley, Coastal Carolina
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DoB: 5/4/1999.
2020 Stats: 3-1, 1.80 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 32/7 K/BB in 25 IP.
Zach McCambley is an interesting prospect from a smaller program, albeit one that won a National Championship in 2016. He flashed good stuff for the Chanticleers, but he was inconsistent and held a 4.34 ERA over his first two seasons against just decent competition. However, he started to rise up boards when he posted a 1.74 ERA and a 24/7 strikeout to walk ratio across 20.2 innings in the elite Cape Cod League over the summer, then kept on rolling with a 1.80 ERA and a 32/7 strikeout to walk ratio over 25 innings in the shortened 2020 season. Though reliever questions abound, he could be the first Chanticleer drafted in the top 100 picks since Jacob May went 91st overall to the White Sox in 2013.
McCambley is known for his fastball/curveball combination. The fastball sits in the low to mid 90's and gets good riding action up in the zone, while the curveball is his true strikeout pitch. It has sharp, deep, two-plane break, and he's done a better job locating it and using it to finish off strikeouts. It's a true plus pitch that will play up in pro ball and the majors, and it enabled him to get off to that strong start in 2020. However, McCambley doesn't have much of a changeup, and his command is just decent. The command could use some refining, but the changeup is likely the make or break as to whether he can cut it as a starting pitcher in pro ball.
Scouts will have to weight the fastball/changeup combination, 6'1" frame, and strong start to the 2020 season against the command and mediocre changeup. There is plenty of upside for McCambley as a potential impact starter, while there is a very good chance he ends up as a reliever. The good news is that even as a reliever, with that curve, he should be pretty effective at minimum. He probably fits somewhere in the third to fifth rounds.
Pitching in high school (I swear I saw a great, recent video on Twitter, but I haven't been able to find it)
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