AJ
Price

At this same event last year, LHP A.J. Price (Neenah, 2024) was a name who was intriguing after recording some of the best outfield velocities of the day, though he looked somewhat raw on the mound at the time. Fast forward to this past Saturday, and Price showed up boasting a taller and more filled out frame at 5-foot-11, 160 pounds, and during his ‘pen he showed off some of his newfound velocity. Price ran his fastball up to 85.1 mph and sat in the 83-84 range throughout. His curveball worked off a 1/7 plane effectively, and he mixed in a changeup that showed developing feel. To round out his four-pitch mix, Price threw a cutter that played with horizontal type movement. Price made his debut on our 2024 rankings late last year, and his arrow is pointed up heading into the spring.

Positional Profile: LHP/OF
Body: 5-11, 160-pounds. Athletic with solid build, more projection.
Delivery: Up tempo delivery, low leg lift into tall and fall delivery, clean, easy mechanics.
Arm Action: LH. Short stab down, loose arm from a 3/4 slot.
FB: T85, 83-85 mph. Some arm-side fade action. T2127, 2027 average rpm.
CB: 70-73 mph. 1/7 action, feel for pitch. T2522, 2440 average rpm.
CH: 70-74 mph. Developing feel some fade. T1756, 1724 average rpm.
CUT: 78-81 mph. Horizontal type movement.

Positional Profile: LHP/OF
Body: 5-11, 160-pounds. Athletic with solid build, more projection.
Hits: LHH. Narrow and open set up. Leg-lift gather, controlled fall to center, gets to strong hitting postion, direct path, hits line drives all over yard.
Power: 86 max exit velocity, averaged 77.4 MPH. 296' max distance.
Arm: LH. OF-88 mph. 3/4 slot quick arm.
Defense: One-hand gather into hop, quick release.
Run: 7.07 runner in the 60.
Vizual Edge: 77.33 Edge Score

Price brought one of the best arms in attendance at just 5-foot-9, 135 pounds. Reaching an 89 mph high during outfield defense, he ventured onto the mound shortly after and showed disciplined restraint. From the rubber, he was very methodical in his delivery, and controlled in his move down the mound. The fastball came out at 81.1 mph at 2,200 rpm, indicating upside backed by his throws from the outfield. The curveball spun at 2,400 rpm, and he ripped off a couple individual ones that featured real bite and sweep as he gained confidence in it. The changeup projects, too, as another useful pitch to combine for a quality mix that makes Price a solid pitching prospect whose interest will rise as his velocity does.

Positional Profile: LHP/OF
Body: 5-9, 135-pounds. Lean, thin, long legs.
Hit: LHH. Open setup, balanced lower half, smooth hand load into a back slot, steady leg kick trigger. Long path to contact, sees the ball deep and worked the opposite field gap.
Power: 83.8 max exit velocity, averaged 76.2 mph. 254’ max distance.
Arm: LH. OF - 89 mph. Long 3/4 slot action with some carry and slight fade. Arm strength.
Defense: Well organized gather. Quick transition to release.
Run: 7.17 runner in the 60. 

Delivery: Controlled rhythm in-line. Methodical tempo.
Arm Action: LH. Controlled arm action. Lower effort than his 89 mph OF velo.
FB: T81.1, 78.8-81.0 mph. Above-average spin helps generate vertical action with natural arm-side run. T2220, 2102 average rpm.
CB: 65.7-68.6 mph. Projectable pitch with swing-and-miss sweep traits; will be more effective as he adds confidence and intent; 2/8 plane. T2494, 2418 average rpm.
CH: 68.2-70.2 mph. Alters delivery somewhat; deceptive pitch still with large horizontal movement. T1952, 1915 average rpm.
CUT: 70-73 mph. Slider-like profile with short horizontal action.