Chase Burns’ Slider, Hagen Smith’s Fastball & The 9 Nastiest Pitches In The 2024 Draft
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Readers scrolling through our final BA 500 big board will find pitch grades for the top 200 prospects. So we thought it’d be fun to examine the nastiest offerings in the 2024 MLB Draft class.
Some pitchers below, like Chase Burns and Hagen Smith, have multiple double-plus pitches, but for the sake of the exercise I’ll focus on one per player. All of the individual pitches discussed below all grade out as 70s. You can also find individual MLB pitch comps for the top five college players on our board here.
Chase Burns’ slider
Though he’s armed with a thunderous fastball that routinely eclipses triple-digits, Burns’ calling card has long been his hellacious, upper-80s-to-low-90s power slider. Not only is it a pitch he throws with conviction, but he also has an advanced feel for it. It takes what looks like a hard left turn—with some depth—as it approaches the plate, and this season it held opposing hitters to a .084/.141/.139 slash line with a gaudy 64% whiff rate.
Hagen Smith’s fastball
Like Burns, Smith’s slider is also a 70, but I opted to highlight his fastball here. It sits in the mid-to-upper-90s, and this season it was up to 100. Smith has some natural funk in his delivery which adds to the pitches’ effectiveness. It explodes out of his hand with both run and ride through the strike zone, and it especially lively when located in the top half of the strike zone and on his arm side. This spring, it held hitters to a .172 average with an impressive 42% whiff rate.
Cam Caminiti’s fastball
At the prep level, Caminiti’s heater is the best of its kind. An athletic lefthander with a loose, easy operation, Caminiti’s fastball sat in the 92-96 range this spring and topped out at 98. It’s most effective, and generates the most swing-and-miss, at the top of the zone. The fact that there’s some crossfire in his operation from the left side only adds to its effectiveness, and it figures to be the headliner weapon of his arsenal as he progresses through pro ball.
William Schmidt’s curveball
When focusing solely on secondary offerings, Schmidt’s bender is the most lethal at the prep level. It has big-time depth with 12-6 shape, and he consistently spins it in the 2,900 or higher range. He has an advanced feel for the offering and can not only land it for strikes, but uses it to generate plenty of whiffs in and out of the strike zone.
Brody Brecht’s slider
From a sheer stuff standpoint, Brecht might be the only other pitcher in this year’s draft class who can go toe-to-toe with the likes of Chase Burns and Hagen Smith. In addition to his high-90s riding fastball, Brecht features a demonic high-80s gyro slider that flashes sharp, two-plane break. He has a better feel for his slider than he does his fastball, and he has shown the ability to land the pitch for strikes. This year, Brecht’s slider garnered an eye-popping 56% whiff rate and held hitters to a measly .119/.272/.216 slash line.
Carson Wiggins’ fastball
The younger brother of Cubs prospect Jaxon Wiggins, Carson has big-time arm strength himself. The power righthander’s fastball sat in the 93-97 range this spring, topping out at 99 and overpowering high school hitters. He pairs his fastball with a slider that flashes above-average, making for a pretty deadly one-two punch. Like his brother, the key for Wiggins is being around the zone consistently, which will help his loud arsenal play up.
Chris Cortez’s fastball
One of the most effective college relievers, Cortez features a powerful one-two punch in his sinker and slider. Cortez’s slider is also a plus pitch, but his power sinker is the better of the two. It sits in the high-90s, routinely touching 100 and even 101. On top of run to the arm side, it flashes bowling-ball sinking life that bears in on the hands of righthanded hitters and down-and-away from lefthanded hitters. He dominates the bottom of the zone with it, which is also from where the vast majority of its whiffs come.
Carson Messina’s slider
The “little” brother of potential day one pick Cole Messina, Carson boasts a lethal, tight mid-80s slider. It has no shortage of sharpness or teeth, and it plays particularly well off a low-to-mid-90s fastball that flashes plenty of armside life. Messina’s east-west profile plays in his favor and enables him to generate plenty of swings and misses, especially with his slider.
LP Langevin’s fastball
Following a spotless summer in the Draft League in which he posted a 0.00 ERA with 22 strikeouts across 11.1 innings, Langevin became a household name this spring after pitching his way to a 3.73 ERA with 106 strikeouts in 62.2 innings. His fastball is one of the more fascinating pitches in this year’s draft class and is a comfortable 70 on the 20-80 scale. From a low release height, Langevin’s high-spin fastball sits 93-95 but has been up to 97 with no shortage of life through the strike zone. His VAA of -4.31 enhances the pitch even further, and this spring it generated a ridiculous 46% whiff rate.
