C.J. Van Eyk

Van Eyk established himself as one of the more polished high school pitchers in the 2017 draft class, but a forearm injury hurt his draft stock and led him to campus at Florida State. Van Eyk became a full-fledged member of the Seminoles rotation as a sophomore and posted a 3.81 ERA with more than 11 strikeouts per nine innings. He was off to another successful season in 2020 with 1.31 ERA over four starts before the seaosn shut down. Van Eyk gets things done with a solid three-pitch mix: a fastball in the 90-95 mph range, a sharp, 78-80 mph downer curveball and an 81-84 mph changeup with sinking action that fools hitters on both sides. All are at least average pitches. Van Eyk can also spin a slider, but the pitch has less depth and less swing-and-miss potential than his curve. Van Eyk’s operation is clean, with a loose, fluid arm action, and should have no problem remaining a starter. His stuff isn’t quite as explosive as the top-end pitchers in the class, which could make him more of a late first- or second-round pick.