Mitchell Taylor

Taylor won Spring's regular-season finale to qualify his team for the Texas 5-A playoffs, where he boosted his stock more than any pitcher in the top 10 rounds. In the opening round against College Park (The Woodlands), he struck out 10 to win the first game and came back in relief two days later to work three shutout innings and outduel John Simms for the victory. He did the same thing in round two against Cy-Fair (Cypress), winning the opener as a starter and the deciding third game as a reliever. Taylor ran out of gas in the third round, losing a 4-3 decision to Klein Collins (Spring), but drove in six of Spring's 12 runs in the two-game series. He's a little lefty with a whippy arm, throwing 88-93 mph despite standing just 6-foot-1 and 160 pounds. He also has a big-breaking curveball that some scouts grade as better than his fastball. He's polished for a high schooler, throwing strikes and exhibiting good mound presence. Though he has committed to Houston, Taylor is expected to sign. A midseason suspension has caused some clubs to back away, but he could go as high as the fourth round.