Thomas Keeling

The Yankees could have taken a huge bite out of the Oklahoma State rotation when they drafted Tyler Lyons (10th round) and Keeling (20th round as a draft-eligible sophomore) a year ago, but both lefthanders decided to return to school. Keeling has improved his stock and should go slightly ahead of Lyons in the fifth to seventh round this June, but he's still trying to figure out how to harness his quality stuff. Keeling would have placed fourth in NCAA Division I in strikeouts per nine innings (12.9) in 2009 if he hadn't fallen a few innings short of qualifying, and he ranked fourth with the same rate at the end of the 2010 regular season. Yet he didn't become a full-time starter until his redshirt junior season and went just 4-6, 5.74 this spring. Keeling's best pitch is a 90-93 mph fastball that tops out at 96 with riding life. The 6-foot-3, 184-pounder gets that movement by throwing across his body, which hampers his control and ability to throw a breaking ball. His slider has improved but he still can't consistently find the strike zone with it. After missing the 2007 season because the growth plate in his shoulder blade was irritating a muscle, Keeling has been healthy since. But he's still learning how to pitch.