Justin Steele

Most of the premium high school players selected out of Mississippi tend to be athletic position players, but Steele could buck that trend. The 6-foot-1, 180-pounder has a lean, athletic build with room to get stronger. He comes from an athletic family, as his brother played college baseball and his father played football at Alabama. Justin jumped onto the national scene by running his fastball up to 93 mph and sitting in the low 90s at East Coast Pro last summer, before his velocity fell to the 85-87 mph range. This spring he has shown similar peaks and inconsistency. At his best early in games, Steele can sit in the low 90s and touch 95. His fastball plays up because he hides the ball well, has a quick arm and has the potential for plus life with sink and run. His velocity regularly falls to 85-87 later in outings, however. His secondary stuff remains behind his fastball. Although he doesn't use it frequently in game action, Steele's changeup shows potential and is ahead of his breaking ball, a slow, looping curveball that needs a lot of work. But he has thrown strikes this year and his athleticism allows scouts to project average control. He broke his left wrist last summer and had a screw inserted to repair it, adding to the complicated calculation teams will have to make about his value.