Dane Acker Stats & Scouting Report — College Baseball, MLB Draft, Prospects

IP	8.2
ERA	1.04
WHIP	.92
BB/9	3.12
SO/9	11.42

Full name Dane Harrison Acker
Born 04/01/1999 in College Station, TX
Profile Ht.: 6'2" / Wt.: 189 / Bats: R / Throws: R
School Oklahoma
Drafted in the 4th round (127th overall) by the Oakland Athletics in 2020 (signed for $447,400).

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While Cade Cavali is the most famous name in the Oklahoma rotation, but all three members of the Sooners weekend rotation have impressed. Acker had the most impressive performance of the trio. He was the first pitcher to ever no-hit Louisiana State in a nine-inning game. Acker struck out 11 in an 117-pitch complete game at the Children’s College Classic in Houston. Acker has long been a name to watch. He was 5-2, 4.20 as a freshman at Rice. He transferred to San Jacinto (Texas) JC where he was a very reliable starter, going 10-0, 2.36 while impressing with his feel for pitching. The D-Backs drafted him in the 23rd round in 2019, but he opted to head to Oklahoma instead. Acker isn’t flashy, but the sum-of-the-parts makes everything work very well. He’s durable, he has above-average command and he carries his stuff deep into games. His average fastball can touch 94 mph, but he generally pitches more at 91-92, showing plenty of sink (he can elevate a four-seamer as well). His 78-81 mph average curveball is a big breaker while his fringe-average slider is cutterish, with modest break aiming to avoid the sweet spot of the bat. He also has shown both feel and confidence in his average changeup that has some late fade. There are plenty of college pitchers with more upside than Acker, but he will outlast plenty of them in pro ball because he has a clean delivery, is durable and is a better pitcher than most.

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Organization Prospect Rankings

Track Record: Acker was Oakland’s fourth-round pick out of Oklahoma in the 2020 draft and signed for $447,400 at slot value. Just before the season was shut down by the pandemic, Acker made history by throwing a no-hitter against Louisiana State. He was dealt to the Rangers in February 2021 along with Khris Davis and Jonah Heim as part of the trade that sent Elvis Andrus to Oakland. He made two starts at Low-A Down East, but then was shut down and had Tommy John surgery.

Scouting Report: At Oklahoma, Acker worked with a heavy low-90s fastball that peaked at 94 mph and a 78-81 mph curveball as his main means of attack. He also showed a fringy slider that sometimes behaved like a cutter as well as a fading changeup that projected to be average. During spring training, the Rangers saw a huge uptick in Acker’s stuff. His fastball had jumped into the 95-99 mph range, and his curveball was looking like a potential wipeout pitch. Whether those gains continue will have to wait until he returns from surgery.

The Future: Once Acker returns from his rehab process, he’ll likely be eased back into action. The Rangers were extremely encouraged by what they saw, however, and are excited for his future.

Draft Prospects

Cade Cavalli is the most famous name in the Oklahoma rotation, but all three members of the Sooners weekend rotation have impressed. Acker had the most impressive performance of the trio. He was the first pitcher to ever no-hit Louisiana State in a nine-inning game. Acker struck out 11 in a 117-pitch complete game at the Children’s College Classic in Houston. Acker has long been a name to watch. He was 5-2, 4.20 as a freshman at Rice. He transferred to San Jacinto (Texas) JC where he was a very reliable starter, going 10-0, 2.36 while impressing with his feel for pitching. The D-Backs drafted him in the 23rd round in 2019, but he opted to head to Oklahoma instead. Acker isn’t flashy, but the sum of the parts makes everything work very well. He’s durable, he has above-average command and he carries his stuff deep into games. His average fastball can touch 94 mph, but he generally pitches more at 91-92, showing plenty of sink (he can elevate a four-seamer as well). His 78-81 mph average curveball is a big breaker while his fringe-average slider is cutterish, with modest break aiming to avoid the sweet spot of the bat. He also has shown both feel and confidence in his average changeup that has some late fade. There are plenty of college pitchers with more upside than Acker, but he will outlast plenty of them in pro ball because he has a clean delivery, is durable and is a better pitcher than most.
After a solid freshman season at Rice, Acker transferred to San Jacinto (Texas) JC and showed that he has durability and maintainable stuff over a solid season in San Jac's rotation. He went 10-0, 2.36 with 11.4 strikeouts per nine innings. Acker carries his 92-94 mph deep into games while showing excellent ability to sink his two-seamer with above-average command for his age. He will flash a slider that could be an average pitch and shows some feel for a changeup, but it's his ability to locate his fastball to all four corners of the strike zone--he elevates a four-seamer as well--that should get him drafted.

Scouting Reports

Track Record: Acker was Oakland’s fourth-round pick out of Oklahoma in the 2020 draft and signed for $447,400 at slot value. Just before the season was shut down by the pandemic, Acker made history by throwing a no-hitter against Louisiana State. He was dealt to the Rangers in February 2021 along with Khris Davis and Jonah Heim as part of the trade that sent Elvis Andrus to Oakland. He made two starts at Low-A Down East, but then was shut down and had Tommy John surgery.

Scouting Report: At Oklahoma, Acker worked with a heavy low-90s fastball that peaked at 94 mph and a 78-81 mph curveball as his main means of attack. He also showed a fringy slider that sometimes behaved like a cutter as well as a fading changeup that projected to be average. During spring training, the Rangers saw a huge uptick in Acker’s stuff. His fastball had jumped into the 95-99 mph range, and his curveball was looking like a potential wipeout pitch. Whether those gains continue will have to wait until he returns from surgery.

The Future: Once Acker returns from his rehab process, he’ll likely be eased back into action. The Rangers were extremely encouraged by what they saw, however, and are excited for his future.
Cade Cavalli is the most famous name in the Oklahoma rotation, but all three members of the Sooners weekend rotation have impressed. Acker had the most impressive performance of the trio. He was the first pitcher to ever no-hit Louisiana State in a nine-inning game. Acker struck out 11 in a 117-pitch complete game at the Children’s College Classic in Houston. Acker has long been a name to watch. He was 5-2, 4.20 as a freshman at Rice. He transferred to San Jacinto (Texas) JC where he was a very reliable starter, going 10-0, 2.36 while impressing with his feel for pitching. The D-Backs drafted him in the 23rd round in 2019, but he opted to head to Oklahoma instead. Acker isn’t flashy, but the sum of the parts makes everything work very well. He’s durable, he has above-average command and he carries his stuff deep into games. His average fastball can touch 94 mph, but he generally pitches more at 91-92, showing plenty of sink (he can elevate a four-seamer as well). His 78-81 mph average curveball is a big breaker while his fringe-average slider is cutterish, with modest break aiming to avoid the sweet spot of the bat. He also has shown both feel and confidence in his average changeup that has some late fade. There are plenty of college pitchers with more upside than Acker, but he will outlast plenty of them in pro ball because he has a clean delivery, is durable and is a better pitcher than most.
Cade Cavalli is the most famous name in the Oklahoma rotation, but all three members of the Sooners weekend rotation have impressed. Acker had the most impressive performance of the trio. He was the first pitcher to ever no-hit Louisiana State in a nine-inning game. Acker struck out 11 in a 117-pitch complete game at the Children’s College Classic in Houston. Acker has long been a name to watch. He was 5-2, 4.20 as a freshman at Rice. He transferred to San Jacinto (Texas) JC where he was a very reliable starter, going 10-0, 2.36 while impressing with his feel for pitching. The D-Backs drafted him in the 23rd round in 2019, but he opted to head to Oklahoma instead. Acker isn’t flashy, but the sum of the parts makes everything work very well. He’s durable, he has above-average command and he carries his stuff deep into games. His average fastball can touch 94 mph, but he generally pitches more at 91-92, showing plenty of sink (he can elevate a four-seamer as well). His 78-81 mph average curveball is a big breaker while his fringe-average slider is cutterish, with modest break aiming to avoid the sweet spot of the bat. He also has shown both feel and confidence in his average changeup that has some late fade. There are plenty of college pitchers with more upside than Acker, but he will outlast plenty of them in pro ball because he has a clean delivery, is durable and is a better pitcher than most.
After a solid freshman season at Rice, Acker transferred to San Jacinto (Texas) JC and showed that he has durability and maintainable stuff over a solid season in San Jac's rotation. He went 10-0, 2.36 with 11.4 strikeouts per nine innings. Acker carries his 92-94 mph deep into games while showing excellent ability to sink his two-seamer with above-average command for his age. He will flash a slider that could be an average pitch and shows some feel for a changeup, but it's his ability to locate his fastball to all four corners of the strike zone--he elevates a four-seamer as well--that should get him drafted.