Joseph Menefee | LHP | George Ranch High (Richmond, Texas) | Texas A&M Commit

A sturdy lefty with a live arm, Menefee’s fastball sat 89-92 with late arm-side run. Menefee backed up his strong fastball with a 1-to-7 curveball at 76-78 that showed tight spin, but he couldn’t quite find a release for it in his outing, with some spiking in the dirt and some slipping out of his hand early. He also mixed in a couple changeups at 80-81 with decent deception whose break mirrored that of his fastball, running down and to his arm side. His control was a bit erratic in game, but was acceptable in the pregame tryout bullpen. With a strong, athletic delivery with a loose, yet compact, arm action out of a high three-quarter slot, Menafee’s stuff and strike-throwing should improve as he adds the strength to better repeat his delivery.

Matt Rudis | RHP | Madisonville (Texas) High | Texas Christian Commit

If you were to solely look at the lower half of Rudis’ delivery, you’d think you were watching a fairly ordinary pitcher. He has longer legs than most, but there’s nothing extraordinary about his lower half. But adjust your sights up a tad and there’s where the talent lies. Rudis, a broad-framed-yet-lean righty, lulls the observer until right before his front foot strikes the ground. With arm speed like Rudis has, hitters can’t afford a momentary lull. With a fastball up to 94, sitting 91-93, Rudis’ fast arm can really jump on a batter. Combined with a potential average vertical slider at 81-82, and a delivery with higher effort from the arm and a slight recoil, Rudis already has a reliever feel to him. As a whole, his body finishes as quiet as the early portion of his delivery, and his arm strength and speed are unquestionable. Rudis’ raw ability sure isn’t quiet.

Rye Gunter | RHP | Coppell (Texas) High | Louisiana State commit

Hailing from the same Texas 6A powerhouse that produced fellow arms Ray Gaither, Charles King, Jake Elliott and Jensen Elliot–as well as Cy Young winner Corey Kluber–Gunter looks to continue the power righty tradition at Coppell. Gunter’s frame is large, with thick lower limbs well-equipped to carry another 20-30 pounds of muscle. He powers well from his lower half, driving hard to set up good extension upon release. Along with maintaining a high release from a near over-the-top arm slot, Gunter gives hitters a tough angle to contend with. Gunter’s arm is loose and whippy, with a long circle in the back that allows him to hide the ball fairly well from hitters. Gunter took about a batter and a half to warm up, starting out at 89-91, before blowing 92s and 93s past the last couple hitters. He also flipped in a few 74-75 curveballs that vacillated between 12-to-6 and 11-to-5 break. The break was large and loopy with loose spin, fringe-average at best. As Gunter gains strength and comfort with his curveball, its velocity and spin should increase, improving the offering’s bite. With an arm that works and an athleticism tending towards power, it won’t be long before Rye Gunter is mentioned in the same breath as the Coppell legends of yesteryear.