Christian Roa

One of many rising college pitchers in the 2020 class, Roa impressed scouts early this spring with a strong four-pitch mix, a physical 6-foot-4, 210-pound frame, solid strike-throwing ability and a clean arm action and delivery. Roa throws a fastball, slider, curveball and changeup, all of which are at least average. His fastball sits in the 92-93 mph range, getting up to 95-96, but some scouts are concerned with how true the pitch is. Batters square it up more than teams would like, which means Roa needs to rely more on a quality trio of offspeed offerings. His slider is his best breaking ball, an above-average pitch he can land for strikes consistently, while some scouts believe his changeup is his best overall offering. Some have put double-plus grades on the changeup, while his curveball is more solid-average. Roa’s 2020 numbers don’t align with the scouting feedback, as he posted a 5.85 ERA in four starts and 20 innings, with 35 strikeouts and nine walks. One concerning metric is Roa’s career hits per nine mark, which is just under 10 and speaks to the concerns about Roa’s fastball playing too flat. Traditional scouts and analytics departments have differing thoughts on Roa’s profile, but he possesses plenty of starter traits as a solid strike thrower with a strong four-pitch mix.