The distinction of highest MLB draft pick in Texas A&M University history belongs to Jeff Granger. He was selected fifth overall in 1993. With the 2020 MLB Draft right around the corner, it appears likely that Asa Lacy could claim that title.
Lacy, a left-handed pitcher, is currently the third-best draft prospect, according to MLB.com. He registers at six-feet-four-inches tall and 215 pounds, and he was in the middle of his junior season for the Aggies before the NCAA season was cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic.
His commitment to Texas A&M was serious enough out of high school that he sought a signing bonus of $1,000,000 to decommit. His draft stock took a hit, but he was still taken in the 31st-round by the Cleveland Indians before officially opting for college.
Strengths
Asa Lacy has a solid pitch mix with four pitches that rank very high among scouts. His fastball, slider, and changeup all receive a 60/80 grade, and his curveball sits at 55/80. He releases these pitches from a three-quarter arm slot, and his height allows for him to throw on a downhill plane.
His fastball sits in the 92-97 MPH range. His slider has a hard break and scouts believe it has overtaken his curveball to become a plus pitch. The curveball has a good, downward break. As for his changeup, Lacy can make the ball sink and fade as it enters the strike zone. He changed the grip on the pitch which has allowed him to shed 400 RPM off of it. As he starts to throw it with more consistency, it should develop into a definite plus pitch.
Before the NCAA season was cut short, Lacy was enjoying a dominant spring. In four starts, he compiled 24 innings pitched and a 3-0 record. His arsenal of pitches led to him striking out 46 batters for a 17.3 K/9. Additionally, he only allowed two earned runs for a 0.75 ERA to go along with a 0.708 WHIP.
While it is not definite that Lacy would have continued this high level of dominance across a full 2020, his sophomore season supports that these four starts were no fluke. During 2019, his first full season as a starting pitcher, Lacy pitched 88.2 innings. Across those innings, he recorded a 2.13 ERA, 1.038 WHIP, and 13.2 K/9.
Weaknesses
For all of the potential that Lacy possesses, he does need to work on his control and command. His delivery contains some effort to it, which affects his ability to throw pitches with precision. This is natural as Lacy learns to harness his overpowering stuff.
His K/BB was 5.75 in 2020, but that number was slightly inflated by his 17.3 K/9. In his three seasons at Texas A&M, Lacy has BB/9 of 4.0 for his career, including a 4.4 BB/9 in his one full season as a starter. It should be noted that he was recording a career-best 3.0 BB/9 before the season was halted. While that is certainly a sign of improvement, it is still considered to be below-average.
MLB Comp
A good comp for Asa Lacy is to current Texas Ranger Mike Minor. Minor is the same height and similar weight to Lacy with an identical pitch mix. Minor’s fastball has slightly less velocity than Lacy’s, averaging 92.5 MPH in 2019, and he has transitioned to using his changeup more than his slider (24.6% vs. 19.4% in 2019) to complement his fastball in recent years.
Regardless, both men utilize a good arsenal to get batters out and produce swings and misses. Minor is not as wild as Lacy is right now, but his walk rate suggests that he has average at best control.
Although control and command are areas of improvement for Lacy, he has demonstrated dominance at Texas A&M with four pitches that can still generate swings and misses. His potential makes him a great asset to add any farm system.
Main Photo: Embed from Getty Images
