Konnor Pilkington

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Cleveland Guardians #30 prospect in 2022
  Track Record: Pilkington was a reliable starter throughout his college career at Mississippi State. He carried that success into pro ball after the White Sox drafted him in the third round in 2018. In 2021 he was traded to Cleveland in exchange for Cesar Hernandez and impressed with Double-A Akron after the deal.
  
  Scouting Report: Pilkington’s stuff has ticked up in pro ball and his fastball now works in the low 90s. His changeup is his best secondary offering, and he throws it against both righthanded and lefthanded hitters. He throws both a curveball and a slider and both pitches are average offerings. While his stuff isn’t overpowering, he pounds the strike zone and has a good feel for pitching, helping him to get swings and misses. He pitches with above-average control.
  
  The Future: After Pilkington’s strong finish to the season, the Guardians added him to their 40-man roster in November. He’ll open the 2022 season in the rotation for Triple-A Columbus and could soon push his way into the mix in Cleveland. His profile fits the kind of pitcher the Guardians develop well and could end up as an innings-eating starter.
  
• 
  Ranked Chicago White Sox #17 prospect in 2020
  TRACK RECORD: Pilkington put together three solid seasons at Mississippi State, an excellent 2016 season in the Cape Cod League and a 2.65 ERA for the 2017 Collegiate National Team. With the CNT, Pilkington played with a host of future White Sox system-mates, including Andrew Vaughn, Nick Madrigal and Steele Walker. The White Sox signed him for $650,000 as their 2018 third-round pick.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Pilkington spent his first season kicking off the rust, then set to work in the fall instructional league tweaking his arsenal. He adopted an approach that centered more on his four-seam fastball and an improved version of his curveball. An analysis of his curveball with the help of high-speed cameras and other software helped him get on top of the pitch better and find a more consistent 10-4 shape that allowed for deeper break. He improved his changeup as well and got roughly eight mph of separation from his low-90s fastball. He's got a slider in his pitch package, but it's behind his three other pitches.
  
  THE FUTURE: Even with the crisper stuff, Pilkington still doesn't have the knockout repertoire that evaluators would like to see in an impact starter. His body is somewhat maxed out, giving him less room for improvement. He'll move to Double-A in 2020 and has a ceiling as a No. 5 starter.
• 
  Ranked Chicago White Sox #22 prospect in 2019
  Track Record: Pilkington comes with plenty of pedigree. He pitched for three seasons in the Southeastern Conference, ranked as the No. 14 prospect in the 2016 Cape Cod League and pitched to a 2.65 ERA on the 2017 Collegiate National Team. He was also one of the youngest collegiate players available in the draft.
  
  Scouting Report: Pilkington is by no means overpowering, pitching with a fastball that usually settles in around 89-92 but has touched up to 94. His 76-78 mph curveball flashes above-average potential, and Pilkington can vary the break on the pitch to make it look like a slider as well. His changeup, which he throws around 79-83 mph, also got potential plus grades from scouts. He sometimes rushes through his delivery and finishes stiff and upright, but it hasn’t been a problem for him so far.
  
  The Future: Pilkington pitched mostly at Rookie-level Great Falls in 2018, but because of his pedigree could go to either low Class A Kannapolis or high Class A Winston-Salem.

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #60 prospect in 2018 draft
  Pilkington has established himself as a reliable starter throughout his college career at Mississippi State, in the Cape Cod League and with USA Baseball's Collegiate National Team. He shows an advanced understanding of pitching and what he needs to do to get outs. Pilkington is not overpowering and he typically pitches at 89-92 mph, but his fastball can reach 94 mph. His curveball has above-average potential and he has worked to improve his changeup to give him a third offering that is at least average. At his best, Pilkington can both land his curveball for strikes and make it a chase pitch out of the zone. He repeats his delivery well and can locate his fastball to both sides of the zone effectively. Pilkington is one of the youngest college players in the draft class and won''t turn 21 until September. Given his feel for pitching, size (listed at 6-foot-3, 228 pounds) and track record, he has the look of a solid starter at the pro level.

• December, 2021 Scouting Report
  Track Record: Pilkington was a reliable starter throughout his college career at Mississippi State. He carried that success into pro ball after the White Sox drafted him in the third round in 2018. In 2021 he was traded to Cleveland in exchange for Cesar Hernandez and impressed with Double-A Akron after the deal.
  
  Scouting Report: Pilkington’s stuff has ticked up in pro ball and his fastball now works in the low 90s. His changeup is his best secondary offering, and he throws it against both righthanded and lefthanded hitters. He throws both a curveball and a slider and both pitches are average offerings. While his stuff isn’t overpowering, he pounds the strike zone and has a good feel for pitching, helping him to get swings and misses. He pitches with above-average control.
  
  The Future: After Pilkington’s strong finish to the season, the Guardians added him to their 40-man roster in November. He’ll open the 2022 season in the rotation for Triple-A Columbus and could soon push his way into the mix in Cleveland. His profile fits the kind of pitcher the Guardians develop well and could end up as an innings-eating starter.
  
• July, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: Pilkington put together three solid seasons at Mississippi State, an excellent 2016 season in the Cape Cod League and a 2.65 ERA for the 2017 Collegiate National Team. With the CNT, Pilkington played with a host of future White Sox system-mates, including Andrew Vaughn, Nick Madrigal and Steele Walker. The White Sox signed him for $650,000 as their 2018 third-round pick.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Pilkington spent his first season kicking off the rust, then set to work in the fall instructional league tweaking his arsenal. He adopted an approach that centered more on his four-seam fastball and an improved version of his curveball. An analysis of his curveball with the help of high-speed cameras and other software helped him get on top of the pitch better and find a more consistent 10-4 shape that allowed for deeper break. He improved his changeup as well and got roughly eight mph of separation from his low-90s fastball. He’s got a slider in his pitch package, but it’s behind his three other pitches.
  
  THE FUTURE: Even with the crisper stuff, Pilkington still doesn’t have the knockout repertoire that evaluators would like to see in an impact starter. His body is somewhat maxed out, giving him less room for improvement. He’ll move to Double-A in 2020 and has a ceiling as a No. 5 starter.
• February, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: Pilkington put together three solid seasons at Mississippi State, an excellent 2016 season in the Cape Cod League and a 2.65 ERA for the 2017 Collegiate National Team. With the CNT, Pilkington played with a host of future White Sox system-mates, including Andrew Vaughn, Nick Madrigal and Steele Walker. The White Sox signed him for $650,000 as their 2018 third-round pick.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Pilkington spent his first season kicking off the rust, then set to work in the fall instructional league tweaking his arsenal. He adopted an approach that centered more on his four-seam fastball and an improved version of his curveball. An analysis of his curveball with the help of high-speed cameras and other software helped him get on top of the pitch better and find a more consistent 10-4 shape that allowed for deeper break. He improved his changeup as well and got roughly eight mph of separation from his low-90s fastball. He's got a slider in his pitch package, but it's behind his three other pitches.
  
  THE FUTURE: Even with the crisper stuff, Pilkington still doesn't have the knockout repertoire that evaluators would like to see in an impact starter. His body is somewhat maxed out, giving him less room for improvement. He'll move to Double-A in 2020 and has a ceiling as a No. 5 starter.