Matt Cronin

Every year, the draft seems to have several successful college relievers who have the pure stuff to move from Division I to the major leagues in short order. But most often, those relievers don’t move nearly as quickly as everyone expects. 2015 draft prospects Riley Ferrell, Drew Smith and Brandon Koch were all college relievers who fit this bill, yet none of them have become established major league relievers. 2016 draftees Seth Elledge and Lincoln Henzman still have several steps to go as well. But even with those caveats, Cronin is the kind of power lefthander with a fast arm who could move faster than most if it all clicks. He has a reliever’s delivery with some head movement and recoil at the end that sees him finish into a relatively stiff front side. That helps explain why he’s always struggled with below-average control, and as of early May he was walking 5.3 batters per nine innings. Cronin has an extreme trunk tilt that helps him throw from a true over-the-top release point. It also helps him get 12-to-6 movement on his curveball, which rates as a 60 on the 20-to-80 scale. His curveball has been much better this year than last, which has led to him being more effective. His 93-96 mph fastball gets swings and misses up in the zone, and he was striking out 13.9 batter per nine innings late in the regular season. The Razorbacks have used Cronin relatively lightly, and he is usually asked to get only three to five outs at a time and rarely pitches on back-to-back days. He has the stuff to fill a setup role in pro ball, although he’ll have to continue to improve his control.