As we head into conference play and the weather starts to tease in some parts of the country, the draft’s best arms continue to dominate.
Here are some of the top performances from Week 3.
NOTE: The rank below represents the latest in Joe Doyle’s Top 300 MLB Draft Prospects from March 11.
UPDATED RANKINGS: Top 300 Draft Prospects
94. Zane Adams, LHP — Alabama vs. Presbyterian
6 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 10 SO, 96 P
Adams sat 89-92mph in Friday’s tilt and induced 24 whiffs on 57 swings (42%), including 11 of 15 on his low-80s changeup. Adams is a legit four-pitch lefty, including a classic 11-5 curveball he can throw for strikes, and the cutter has been 85-88 and slider-like. Each offering has been effective early in 2025. He brings prototypical size at 6-foot-4 and the velo comes easy suggesting more to come.
Adams has punched out 22 in 18.1 innings over his first four outings, issuing eight walks and yielding just two extra-base hits.
From his Week 2 and 3 starts:
47. Kade Anderson, LHP — LSU vs. North Alabama
6 IP, 4 H, ER, 0 BB, 11 SO, 92 P
Anderson is off to a terrific start in 2025, striking out 44% of the batters he’s faced and allowing just five runs on six walks and 14 hits. He has served up three long balls, but the Tigers have had rather large leads in three of the four games putting Anderson in a lot of strike-throwing situations, including at Kansas State Week 3 and this past weekend versus North Alabama.
In this start, Anderson pounded the zone (72% strikes) and worked side-to-side with his fastball, slider, and curveball, generating 41% whiffs on 49 swings. His fastball did most of the damage at 92-95 mph, inducing 14 whiffs, with hitters not getting a long enough look to time it well. Anderson also mixed in a low-80s changeup, a pitch he may need in pro ball but is a work in progress.
Anderson gets Missouri at The Box this coming weekend.
DOYLE: Lotta fastballs in college baseball so far
25. Kyson Witherspoon, RHP — Oklahoma vs. Sam Houston
5 IP, H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 12 SO, 92 P
Witherspoon is getting plenty of buzz early, but maybe not enough. He was dominant again Friday with a mid-90s fastball that touched 97 mph in each of his innings and averaged 96.3.
With good fastball value (10 whiffs on 24 swings), the conversation quickly gets to command and secondary stuff. The former needs some work, but Witherspoon’s slider, curveball, and cutter all offer projection, and there’s a hard changeup he goes to now and again. The mid-80s slider was his go-to in this one, but again, everything worked for him.
Witherspoon will face South Carolina and the likes of Nathan Hall (.407/.500/.593) and Day 1 prospect Ethan Petry (.377/.486/.754, 12 XBH) this week.
71. Liam Doyle, LHP — Tennessee vs St. Bonaventure
5.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 13 SO, 104 P
Doyle has been as good as anyone in the country this season and toyed with the Bonnies Friday at Lindsey Nelson Stadium. Of his 84 fastballs, 64 came in at 95 mph or higher, hitting 98 on a handful of occasions and holding 95 through his final inning.
The southpaw dominated with the heater in this one, throwing just 11 sliders, seven changeups, and a pair of cutters, but tallying 25 swings-and-misses (48%). He threw 72% strikes.
Doyle’s next test is a home start versus a quality Florida Gators lineup led by Brody Donay (.442/.586/.1.038, 14 XBH) and Bobby Boser (.349/.462/.762, 12 XBH).
133. Patrick Forbes, RHP — Louisville vs. UIC
6 IP, 2 H, ER, 2 BB, 9 SO, 104 P
Forbes went fastball-slider for all but two pitches in this one, and it was more than enough as UIC couldn’t catch up to the heat (13 whiffs, 36 swings) or manage the breaker (5, 14). The Cardinals ace hit 98 mph early with relatively low effort, locating glove side all game long. The velo dipped a bit to 93-94 in his final inning, but he was mid-90s in the fifth and it’s still early in the year.
Forbes’ 80-83 mph slider is one of the better breaking balls in the country with depth and late break, mostly vertical. It’s missing bats and he’s shown he can throw it in the zone of induce chase.
He’s thrown just seven changeups all season but has mixed in an upper-80s cutter with some success, and his 39-3 K/BB ratio in 21 frames is awfully shiny, regardless of the competition.
Forbes gets first-round prospect Luke Stevenson’s North Carolina Tar Heels this weekend.
164. Justin Lamkin, LHP — Texas A&M vs. New Mexico State
7 IP, 8 H, ER, 0 BB, 10 SO, 96 P
Lamkin was at it again versus the Lobos, skimming the mid-90s with his fastball and dominating with his low-80s slider. He’s yet to get much from the changeup (81-84 mph), but it’s flashed and projects to pro ball thanks to good arm speed.
Lamkin’s arm action is unorthodox with a hitch at the back, generating deception, and helping everything play up, including the fastball. One scout called Lamkin’s secondaries “a bit Chuck Finley” in shape and how Lamkin stands tall through release.
The lefty is part of a tremendous weekend rotation (Ryan Prager, Myles Patton), and has emerged as the best draft prospect of the trio, certain to move up the board from the preseason evals.
80. Anthony Eyanson, RHP — LSU vs. Northern Alabama
7 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 15 SO, 95 P
Fifteen strikeouts and 29 swings-and-misses in this one for the right-hander, including 17 whiffs on 24 swings versus the slider. He hit 95 mph and threw plenty of strikes (71%). Eyanson’s curveball and changeup, while used sparingly (8, 8), induced five whiffs on six swings with them combined, so the full arsenal was on display.
Eyanson works north-south with everything, including both breaking balls – 82-85 mph slider, upper-70 curveball – and his high arm slot plays into it. He can generate fastball hop up in the zone and work the breakers off it, or create plane and chase it with the changeup or slider.
Missouri is up next for Eyanson, followed by a series in Austin versus Max Belyeu and the Texas Longhorns.
74. Nelson Keljo, LHP — Oregon State vs USD
5 IP, H, 0 R, 2 BB, 8 SO, 73 P
Keljo was nearly unhittable Friday, holding USD to three baserunners and needing but 73 pitches to get through five scoreless frames. He sat 91-95, hitting the top end of that range in his final frame, and commanded the zone with everything (72% strikes).
There’s deception in his delivery as he stays closed and avoids showing the ball to the batter until necessary, but his arm isn’t consistently on time, leading to some bouts of control problems. He was good in this one, though, showing good arm speed and consistent finishes, and even flashed a nasty changeup with sink and fade.
He’s not a first-round arm at this stage, and may not have much of a chance to get there, but don’t sleep on Keljo as a pro. He checks a lot of boxes, including size and athleticism.
- DRAFT REELS: Eyanson, Adams, Forbes show off in Week 4 - March 10, 2025
- DRAFT REELS: Lamkin, Doyle, Salina among Week 3 pitching standouts - March 4, 2025
- Future Stars Series alums abundant on early 2025 Draft Board - February 7, 2025
