Ben Tootle

Tootle fits in with other small-college high draft picks such as Kyle Heckathorn, Rex Brothers and Chad Jenkins who gained more experience by going to smaller schools and earning rotation time as freshmen. Tootle threw 174 innings his first two seasons at Jacksonville State and shined last summer in the Cape Cod League, where he ranked as the league's No. 4 prospect. He showed a 94-98 mph fastball last summer and similar velocity at times this spring. He's a hard worker and long-toss fan with a quick arm who holds his above-average velocity deep into games when he's physically right. Tootle missed about a month with a stomach virus that caused him to lose more than 10 pounds. In his first two outings after his time off, his velocity was down, but he was brilliant for four innings against Tennessee Tech, sitting 92-96 mph before he tired in the fifth inning.Tootle's secondary stuff remains in question as does the life on his fastball. He throws a hard slider that grades out as average and a changeup as well, though it's below-average. Most scouts consider Tootle a better bet to relieve despite his ability to throw hard for seven innings, as he showed when the last pitch of his seven-inning complete game against Austin Peay was 98 mph. His draft status might hinge on how he finishes and how well teams saw him last summer. He won't go in the first round as he might have right after last summer's performance, but he shouldn't be far behind his small-school brethren.