{"id":31225,"date":"2020-05-04T17:31:50","date_gmt":"2020-05-04T21:31:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonbaseball.com\/?p=31225"},"modified":"2020-05-04T17:40:41","modified_gmt":"2020-05-04T21:40:41","slug":"asa-lacy-mlb-draft-profile","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2020\/05\/04\/asa-lacy-mlb-draft-profile\/","title":{"rendered":"Asa Lacy 2020 MLB Draft Profile"},"content":{"rendered":"

The distinction of highest MLB draft pick in Texas A&M University history belongs to Jeff Granger<\/a><\/strong>. He was selected fifth overall in 1993. With the 2020 MLB Draft right around the corner, it appears likely that Asa Lacy<\/a><\/strong> could claim that title.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Lacy, a left-handed pitcher, is currently the third-best draft prospect, according to MLB.com<\/a>. 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.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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<\/a> before officially opting for college.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Strengths<\/span><\/h2>\n

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.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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<\/a>. As he starts to throw it with more consistency, it should develop into a definite plus pitch.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n