Matthew Reckling

Rice produced the first college senior drafted last year in lefthander Tony Cingrani, who went in the third round to the Reds. Reckling should be one of the first seniors to go this year, after turning down the Indians as a 22nd-round pick last summer. Scouts knew he'd be a tough sign because he's a good student and he comes from a wealthy family--Rice's stadium is named after his grandparents. Reckling didn't start pitching until his final year of high school and wasn't effective in college until the Owls eliminated the recoil in his delivery last year. He has won more games this year (eighth through mid-May) than he totaled in his first three seasons (seven) while averaging 10.5 strikeouts per nine innings. The 6-foot-4, 215-pounder sits at 88-92 mph with his fastball as a starter, and he has jumped as high as 97 mph as a reliever. His spike curveball shows flashes of being a plus pitch, and most scouts think he profiles best as a two-pitch reliever. Reckling's control and command have improved but don't project to be better than average, and his changeup is a mediocre third offering. Scouts don't believe his low-elbow delivery is conducive to starting in the long term.