Throwing strikes and missing bats. That’s pitching, baby. Some guys are better at it than others.
Owning a big fastball is critical in transitioning from college baseball to professional baseball. If an arm can’t get value out of the fastball, it’ll be tough to live off secondaries. And the fastball is often prescriptive in carving out the early rounds in the Draft. Big fastballs and starter traits come off the board quick.
Four weeks into the season and some guys are pounding the zone and missing bats. Strength of schedule aside, these are the draft-eligible pitching prospects currently running a 30-percent whiff rate on their fastball whilst also throwing at least 70 percent strikes with the heater. Pitchers who qualify also need to average 90 mph on their fastball with at least 100 thrown.
You can find ALL SIX of these players on our TOP 300 DRAFT PROSPECTS
Justin Lamkin, Texas A&M
A steady force for the Aggies for two years, Lamkin is enjoying a hot start to his 2025 campaign. He owns a 2.28 ERA across 23.2 innings with 33 strikeouts and just five walks to his name. Lamkin is approaching 150 career innings in College Station in just three years.
Lamkin gets a whole lot of action on the fastball. He’s been up to 94 with some carry and significant tailing action. He launches from an exceptionally high slot with a wide approach creating angles hitters are struggling to pick up out of the hand. He’s thrown his fastball for strikes 74 percent of the time, a full ten percent better than the college baseball average. Still, despite paying rent in the zone, Lamkin has generated a 30 percent whiff rate on the heater.
JD Thompson, Vanderbilt
It should come as no surprise Thompson is posting gaudy numbers with the fastball again in 2025. He was among college baseballs best in terms of whiff and chase rates on his fastball in 2024. It’s been much of the same. Across four starts, Thompson is running a 3.66 ERA across 19.2 innings with 29 strikeouts and just five walks. Be it not for a couple of inopportune homers surrendered, his numbers would be even better.
Chase rate wasn’t a qualifying metric for this article, but had it been, Thompson may have been the golden child. His 35 percent chase rate on the fastball perfectly summarizes his difficult it is for hitters to see his heater. Thompson has been up to 94.5 mph this season and generates above-average carry through the zone. His 20 inches of IVB on the fastball ranks among the best of any pitcher on this list. Thompson is currently running a 31 percent whiff rate on his fastball in 2025.
Myles Patton, Texas A&M
Much like his Aggie rotation-mate Lamkin, Patton is hammering the strike zone with fastballs and getting results because of it. A transfer in from Long Beach State for the 2025 season, The 6-foot-3-inch righty is enjoying a 2.12 ERA through three starts with 23 strikeouts across 17 innings. He’s walked just two batters.
Patton isn’t generally considered an overwhelming pitcher. He’s been up to 92.8 mph this season and doesn’t possess outlandish shape on his heater. But his feel for the top rail of the zone is strong. Patton is throwing his fastball for a strike almost 76 percent of the time and it’s resulted in a whiff rate of 31.5 percent.
Pico Kohn, Mississippi State
Kohn missed much of the last three seasons dealing with injury, but he’s back in Starkville for his redshirt junior campaign and shoving. Through four starts, Kohn has 23.2 innings under his belt with 37 strikeouts and just four walks. His 14.1 K/9 and 1.5 BB/9 are both comfortably career-bests, albeit before SEC play has begun. Still, many of us has seen the talent in this kid since high school.
Pico Kohn‘s 11Ks in 5 IP. pic.twitter.com/z5kPzAUK3v
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) February 14, 2025
Kohn is shoving his fastball. He’s been up to 95 and is sitting 92-94 comfortably into later innings. He’s thrown his fastball in the zone at a 73 percent clip and he’s still running a 36 percent whiff rate on the pitch.
Kohn hides his fastball exceptionally well and creates awkward angles for the opposing hitter. It’s high, it’s wide, cross-body, it’s late-breaking, but most importantly… it’s working.
Dominick Reid, Abilene Christian
Like Patton, Reid isn’t a guy who has traditionally overwhelmed hitters with his stuff. But his feel for landing the fastball where he’s wanted this season is doing wonders early on. A transfer from Oklahoma State for the 2025 season, Reid has four starts under his belt with a 2.55 ERA across 24.2 innings. He’s punched 36 tickets and walked seven batters.
Reid is absolutely feasting low and to his glove side. His feel for dotting the corners with a fastball that features some late sinking action has resulted in a whiff rate from right-handed hitters approaching 40 percent. His fastball is generating just a 15 percent whiff rate against lefties, however. Reid is pounding the zone at a 73 percent clip with his heater this season. Time will tell whether those gaudy splits are sustainable.
Liam Doyle, Tennessee
Unsurprising, Doyle is saved for last. Because, well, he’s been the best arm in college baseball by a margin. His 47 strikeouts and five walks across just 20.1 innings is astounding. Doyle has run a 0.44 ERA and is one of the national leaders in most categories. After beginning his career at Coastal Carolina and then transferring to Ole Miss for his sophomore season, Doyle was chasing something bigger and ended up in Knoxville where his stuff has gone nuclear.
It’s a remarkable fastball averaging close to 21 inches of carry and 12 inches of arm-side running action. The shape matters less so when you’re touching 99 and living 95-96 into the fifth inning. Doyle possesses well-above average spin rates on the fastball and is throwing it for a strike more than 71 percent of the time. His 63 percent whiff rate on the pitch lives on an island of its own in college baseball.
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- 2025 MLB Top 100 Prospects: Red Sox, Tigers, Mariners shine - February 24, 2025
