Chris Villaman

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #438 prospect in 2022 draft
  School: North Carolina State Committed/Drafted: Never Drafted
  Age At Draft: 21.4
  Villaman flashed a low-90s fastball out of high school from the left side, but his stuff backed up a bit during his senior season during the spring and he eventually made it to campus at North Carolina State. In his three seasons with the Wolfpack, Villaman has spent some time as a starter, but was the team’s closer this spring and pitched well—posting a 3.40 ERA over 55.2 innings, with 85 strikeouts (37.0 K%) and 14 walks (6.1 BB%). The 6-foot-2, 210-pound lefthander works primarily with a fastball/changeup combination, with his heater sitting in the low 90s with good carry and impressive command, and a low-80s changeup as his go-to secondary and a pitch that generated whiffs at a 54% rate this spring. Scouts don’t love Villaman’s feel for spinning a breaking ball, though he has thrown a slurvy slider in the upper 70s. Following the 2022 season, Villaman pitched in the Cape Cod League, where he acquitted himself nicely and posted a 2.93 ERA through his first 15.1 innings, though with less impressive strikeout and walk rates compared to his spring season.
• Ranked #407 prospect in 2019 draft
  A 6-foot-2, 185-pound lefthander, Villaman pitched at a number of high-profile showcase events last summer, including the 2018 Under Armour All-America game, where he showed a fastball in the 89-93 mph range. That was generally the range Villaman stayed in throughout the summer, and he also featured a mid-70s curveball with 12-to-6 shape, but his arm slows on the pitch and it lacks bite, though the shape is promising for future improvement. Villaman's stuff has been down this spring despite putting more weight on his frame, and scouts have seen his fastball dip into the low-to-mid-80s. He has good feel for pitching, but teams might be hesitant to draft him among the top 10 rounds given how his stuff has played this spring. A North Carolina State commit, Villaman could improve his stock in Raleigh if he sharpens his breaking ball and improves his fastball velocity.

• December, 2018 Scouting Report
  A 6-foot-2, 185-pound lefthander, Villaman pitched at a number of high-profile showcase events last summer, including the 2018 Under Armour All-America game, where he showed a fastball in the 89-93 mph range. That was generally the range Villaman stayed in throughout the summer, and he also featured a mid-70s curveball with 12-to-6 shape, but his arm slows on the pitch and it lacks bite, though the shape is promising for future improvement. Villaman's stuff has been down this spring despite putting more weight on his frame, and scouts have seen his fastball dip into the low-to-mid-80s. He has good feel for pitching, but teams might be hesitant to draft him among the top 10 rounds given how his stuff has played this spring. A North Carolina State commit, Villaman could improve his stock in Raleigh if he sharpens his breaking ball and improves his fastball velocity.