Akeem Bostick
| IP | 1 |
|---|---|
| ERA | 0 |
| WHIP | 1 |
| BB/9 | 9 |
| SO/9 | 0 |
- Full name Akeem Maurice Bostick
- Born 05/04/1995 in Florence, SC
- Profile Ht.: 6'6" / Wt.: 250 / Bats: R / Throws: R
- School West Florence
- Debut 07/29/2021
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Drafted in the 2nd round (62nd overall) by the Texas Rangers in 2013 (signed for $520,600).
View Draft Report
Bostick is raw, but scouts can dream on his 6-foot-5, 185-pound frame and believe he has the athleticism to put it all together. His cousin Brandon is a tight end for the Green Bay Packers, and Akeem is a three-sport athlete himself. His fastball sits at 90-92 mph and has been up to 94 this spring. His secondary stuff needs work, but he has shown improved ability to spin a breaking ball. He has projection and there is room to add strength, but he has a thin frame so it may be limited. Bostick is committed to Georgia Southern but is considered signable and could get popped around the fifth round.
Top Rankings
Organization Prospect Rankings
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The Rangers hit on a raw, lanky South Carolina prep draft pick in 2011 when they popped C.J. Edwards in the 48th round. Bostick had a much higher profile than Edwards, and the Rangers landed him for $520,600 as a second-round pick in 2013. Bostick hasn't looked quite as promising in pro ball, throwing strikes but getting hit hard at low Class A Hickory in 2014. Extremely athletic, he was a three-sport star in high school and is the cousin of Green Bay Packers tight end Brandon Bostick. That athleticism helps him repeat a sound, balanced delivery to throw strikes with downhill angle in the bottom of the strike zone. He sits at 88-93 mph and touches a couple ticks higher, complementing it with a solid, low- 80s changeup the Rangers forced him to throw more often in the second half. His changeup has good sink and at least average potential. The biggest developmental focus and risk for Bostick is his lack of a reliable breaking ball, which is why he doesn't miss many bats. He throws a below-average 73-76 mph curveball that gets slurvy on him when he gets on the side of the ball. If the breaking ball becomes usable and he can find a way to miss more barrels, Bostick has a chance to be a back-end starter. -
A three-sport athlete in high school with athletic bloodlines, Bostick's cousin Brandon plays tight end for the Green Bay Packers. Scouts considered Bostick a raw project coming out of high school, but he had a strong pro debut in the Rookie-level Arizona League after signing with the Rangers for $520,600 in the second round (62nd overall) of the 2013 draft. His athleticism and long, lanky frame offer plenty of physical projection, with a fastball that sat at 90-94 mph before the draft and tickled 96 in the AZL. Bostick is fairly polished mechanically with good balance in his delivery, which contributes to him having good control of his fastball. He delivers the ball with downhill angle and has deception, making it a challenge for hitters to square up his fastball. The key for Bostick will be the development of his secondary pitches. He's shown improved ability to spin a breaking ball over the past year and he'll snap off some average ones at times, but he's still working to define the pitch. He never threw his changeup much in high school, so it's still a work in progress. Bostick should graduate to low Class A Hickory in 2014.
Draft Prospects
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Bostick is raw, but scouts can dream on his 6-foot-5, 185-pound frame and believe he has the athleticism to put it all together. His cousin Brandon is a tight end for the Green Bay Packers, and Akeem is a three-sport athlete himself. His fastball sits at 90-92 mph and has been up to 94 this spring. His secondary stuff needs work, but he has shown improved ability to spin a breaking ball. He has projection and there is room to add strength, but he has a thin frame so it may be limited. Bostick is committed to Georgia Southern but is considered signable and could get popped around the fifth round.
Minor League Top Prospects
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Attractive for a projectable, athletic frame, Bostick signed for a $520,000 bonus. He pitched effectively for the Rangers in a tandem-starter system, and some scouts covering the AZL called him the league?s best pitching prospect. Bostick generally works in the 92-93 mph range with the fastball ticking up to 96 at times. With good angle, it was a tough pitch for hitters to square up. He has an average curveball now which projects to be a plus pitch in time. He?s got an average but playable changeup with some nice action on it, and it serves as a good equalizer to the fastball. Bostick?s inexperience shows up with the effort in his delivery, but he keeps his body balanced and repeats the motion well.
