Asa Lacy

Lacy entered the year among the top tier of college pitchers, with only Georgia righthander Emerson Hancock ahead, but he performed at such a high level in his four starts that most clubs now view him as the best pitcher in the draft class. A 31st-round pick of the Indians out of high school, Lacy has filled out his projectable 6-foot-4 frame and now possesses some of the best stuff in the country. After filling out to 215 pounds, Lacy's fastball ranges from 90-98 mph to go with a wipeout slider, a plus changeup and a power curveball. After posting a 2.13 ERA with 130 strikeouts in 88.2 innings in his first full season as a starter in 2019, Lacy was well on his way to more dominance in 2020. In four starts he struck out 46 batters compared to eight walks and allowed just two earned runs—good for a 0.75 ERA. Scouts previously wondered about the quality of Lacy’s slider, but he answered those questions this spring by unveiling a powerful, 87-90 mph version of the pitch. Some now say it’s the best slider they’ve seen from a college lefty since Carlos Rodon in 2014. Lacy's changeup has long been a reliable weapon, and while he hasn’t thrown it as much this spring, most scouts believe it’s a plus pitch as well. Lacy’s curveball gives him a fourth pitch that’s at least average and has above-average potential. The one critique of Lacy is his pitch efficiency. He has a tendency to pitch into deep counts, which has inflated his walk rate more than his above-average command would indicate, but he strikes out plenty of batters and doesn’t allow much contact. Lacy’s delivery is fluid and clean, with good usage of his lower half to drive downhill and above-average deception. In addition to his pure stuff, scouts love Lacy’s stoic, no-nonsense demeanor on the mound. He should be one of the first two pitchers selected.