RHP Jeff Criswell, Michigan
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DoB: 3/10/1999.
2020 Stats: 0-1, 4.50 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 26/9 K/BB in 24 IP
Michigan made its surprise run to the College World Series finals in 2019 largely on the backs of an excellent weekend rotation. Their top two starters, Tommy Henry (74th overall, Diamondbacks) and Karl Kauffman (77th overall, Rockies), went three picks apart in the draft, but their #3 starter, Jeff Criswell, has a chance to beat them both. In that stacked rotation, it was Criswell who led the team in ERA at 2.72, and his 116 strikeouts were second only to Henry's 135. However, his 50 walks also led the team, and that inconsistency has spilled over a bit into 2020. After posting a very respectable 3.38 ERA and 22/11 strikeout to walk ratio over 24 innings in the elite Cape Cod League over the summer, he had four very up and down starts that left him with a 4.50 ERA this year. He held his own against a very strong Vanderbilt lineup, got knocked around a bit by Connecticut, dominated Cal Poly, then finished with an okay start against Pepperdine.
Criswell has most of what it takes to be a successful professional starting pitcher right now. His fastball sits in the mid 90's, touching as high as 97 regularly, and he can get good movement on it as well. He adds in a good slider that has missed plenty of bats in college, and his changeup is relatively advanced with some nice fading action. His three pitch mix plays up because it can be hard to track the ball coming out his hand, with a pretty wide range of movement in his delivery. The delivery itself is mechanically sound and pretty straightforward, it's just the long arm action that moves hitters' eyes around a lot.
The concern with Criswell is command and consistency. The stuff is loud, but it's not that loud, and he can get hit around quite a bit when he starts falling behind in counts or lets his offspeed stuff lose their sharpness. In order to start at the next level, Criswell needs to get more consistent with either the stuff or the command, but preferably both. On an interesting side note, he is one of two Michigan Wolverines with top-100 aspirations, and the other, Jordan Nwogu, was born on the exact same day (3/10/1999).
Criswell is pretty close to putting it all together, and some pro coaching might be all he needs to harness his three pitch mix and become and impact big league starter. The velocity of course stands out, but the slider and changeup are both very good pitches when they're on and his durable, 6'4" frame lends itself very well to starting. If he can't get everything figured out and stick as a starter, his stuff would play well out of the bullpen, giving him some floor to fall back on. It's a pretty clear second round profile, and he could be drafted anywhere from the early second to the early third round.
2019 start vs Oklahoma State (he struck out a career-high 12 that day)
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