Magdiel Cotto Stats & Scouting Report — College Baseball, MLB Draft, Prospects

IP	11
ERA	2.45
WHIP	1.18
BB/9	6.55
SO/9	8.18

Full name Magdiel Thomas Cotto
Born 06/24/2002 in Charlotte, NC
Profile Ht.: 6'3" / Wt.: 225 / Bats: L / Throws: L
School Kentucky
Drafted in the 11th round (317th overall) by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2023 (signed for $197,500).

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School: Kentucky Source: 4YR

Commit/Drafted: Never Drafted
Age At Draft: 21.1
Cotto’s fastball took a huge step forward during his senior season in high school (going from 86-91 mph the previous summer to touching 95-96), but he made it to campus at South Carolina, where he struggled out of the bullpen. Cotto transferred to Kentucky for the 2022 season and continued to get hit around as a starter and reliever but started to turn the corner last summer in the Cape Cod League, where he ranked as the No. 19 prospect. Cotto’s command improved during the summer, and he threw his fastball for strikes 70% of the time with Hyannis, while posting a 2.67 ERA over nine games and 27 innings. That didn’t translate to the SEC, as the rate fell back to 63% in 2023 with Kentucky, and the 6-foot-4, 250-pound lefty posted a 5.50 ERA over 18 innings as a reliever with a 31.7% strikeout rate and 11% walk rate. He averaged 93 mph with his fastball and has been up to 97, and mixes in a hard and tight slider in the mid 80s as well as a mid-to-upper-80s tumbling changeup. Cotto has a bit of effort and recoil in his delivery, and his college usage, performance and strikes history suggests he’s a reliever in pro ball, though there’s probably some untapped potential and remaining room for development as well.

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Draft Prospects

School: Kentucky Source: 4YR

Commit/Drafted: Never Drafted
Age At Draft: 21.1
Cotto’s fastball took a huge step forward during his senior season in high school (going from 86-91 mph the previous summer to touching 95-96), but he made it to campus at South Carolina, where he struggled out of the bullpen. Cotto transferred to Kentucky for the 2022 season and continued to get hit around as a starter and reliever but started to turn the corner last summer in the Cape Cod League, where he ranked as the No. 19 prospect. Cotto’s command improved during the summer, and he threw his fastball for strikes 70% of the time with Hyannis, while posting a 2.67 ERA over nine games and 27 innings. That didn’t translate to the SEC, as the rate fell back to 63% in 2023 with Kentucky, and the 6-foot-4, 250-pound lefty posted a 5.50 ERA over 18 innings as a reliever with a 31.7% strikeout rate and 11% walk rate. He averaged 93 mph with his fastball and has been up to 97, and mixes in a hard and tight slider in the mid 80s as well as a mid-to-upper-80s tumbling changeup. Cotto has a bit of effort and recoil in his delivery, and his college usage, performance and strikes history suggests he’s a reliever in pro ball, though there’s probably some untapped potential and remaining room for development as well.
A big, physical lefthander listed at 6-foot-4, 230 pounds, Cotto was starting to get a lot of chatter this spring after touching 95 mph at Prep Baseball Report’s Super 60 showcase. Cotto had shown a more pedestrian fastball prior to that event, and was more in the 86-91 mph range throughout the summer. Following PBR’s event, scouts saw Cotto throwing with a fastball that was consistently average in the low 90s, but most believe he could get to the point where he’s hitting 95-96 consistently. Cotto has two secondaries that could be serviceable in a curveball and changeup. His curve is in the mid-70s with three-quarters shape, but he too frequently gets on the side of the pitch and it doesn’t have the sharpest spin. At its best it is a slurvy breaking ball with solid depth. His 77-82 mph changeup has shown solid sinking and fading life and could become an average pitch. Cotto is a solid strike-thrower, especially considering the length of his limbs. Some scouts worry Cotto will get too big, so maintaining his body will be key for him whether the next step is pro ball or college. Cotto is committed to South Carolina.