Alexander Merricks

At 5-foot-11 and 180 pounds, Merricks lacks the size desired in a pitcher. He more than makes up for it with a powerful left arm, one of the liveliest in the country. He throws his fastball in the 90-94 mph range, though he loses command of the pitch when he tries to rear back and overpower hitters. He's more effective at 88-90 mph because he gets natural sink at that velocity. He needs to throw strikes more consistently and work on his other pitches as well, though he has made progress with a changeup. Merricks has two brothers who play pro ball--Charles, 23, in the Rockies system, and Matt, 19, in the Braves system. Both are products of the 2000 draft and like Alex are smallish, hard-throwing lefthanders.