Michael Goodnight

Houston's annual early-season Minute Maid Classic always draws a flock of scouts, making it a perfect springboard for college players with draft aspirations to boost their stock. Goodnight seized that opportunity, working seven shutout innings to beat Texas and potential first-rounder Brandon Workman 1-0. He hadn't built off that outing, however, going 6-7, 5.45 in 15 regular season starts. Against Texas, Goodnight maintained an 88-92 mph fastball for seven innings, touched 94 and backed it up with a good, 80-82 mph slider. He showed similar stuff throughout the spring, but his feel for pitching seemed to come and go. He fell behind in the count too often and didn't pitch down in the zone enough, leading to 85 hits and 50 walks in 79 innings, and his stuff should play better than that. He's built for durability at 6-foot-4 and 215 pounds and has two potential plus pitches, yet Goodnight might wind up as a reliever because of his inconsistent command and lack of feel for a changeup. A two-time district MVP as a high school quarterback, he has good athleticism and a clean delivery. He's eligible for the draft as a 21-year-old sophomore, and it's unclear whether he'd sign for fifth-round money, which is what he's expected to command.