David Hood, TrueBlueLA.com (3/31/16)Lawson's top attribute is not necessarily his present stuff, but the fluidity and athleticism that allow him to pitch with an ease of effort. Lawson is tall and long at 6'4 and plenty of room to pack on additional weight without a loss in athleticism. He has a quick arm and his delivery appears effortless. Lawson can lose his release point and at times will drop his arm slot, but both are highly correctable given his age and talent.
Lawson's fastball presently sits in the low 90s, though he's flashed plus in shorter looks. The pitch jumps on batters with late life and can be tough to pick up from his near-the-ear, three-quarters arm slot. Lawson hasn't shown much command of his breaking ball, which has a knuckle curve shape but can get loose and slurvy. Again, given his athleticism and age, this isn't of significant concern, and it wouldn't surprise me if his drafting team completely scrapped the pitch to work on a more pure slider or curve.
In a sense, that is the beauty of drafting a player like Lawson. If you have faith in your development staff, he's one of the better molds of clay in this class. He checks off all the upside boxes: long and lean frame, plus athleticism, rapid development at a young age, already solid present fastball. Lawson is a player you can dream on, but the high ceiling comes at a trade-off of no clear floor.
2016 MLB Draft Profile: Reggie LawsonDavid Hood, TrueBlueLA.com (4/8/16)Physically, Matt Krook is essentially the prototype. Listed at 6'3 205 lbs., Krook has a well proportioned and athletic build, with room for maturity. He has a high leg kick in his delivery but demonstrates overall above average body control. Krook can struggle to maintain his release point and keep his body on line with the target, but he has the athletic ability to correct this flaw with more innings and repetitions. Additionally, Krook can get in a hurry with his delivery, speeding up his body ahead of his release and causing him to drag his arm late to the plate.
Krook's best pitch is a hard curveball that he can vary the depth on, but generally takes the shape of a true 1-7 lefty curve. When right, Krook releases the ball from a high ¾ slot, critical for the break on his curveball, but at times he can drop his arm down and dulls the break and causes more of a sweeping motion. The higher the release, the less the ball "pops" out of his hand, making it difficult for hitters to pick up. While he can throw it as a chase pitch, he has enough control to challenge hitters in the zone with his curve.
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In terms of upside, Krook's overall ceiling isn't too distant from the collegiate arms (A.J. Puk and Alec Hansen) rated ahead of him. Puk likely has the higher floor, but Krook has flashed the power stuff to eventually pitch as a solid number two or elite number three starter. Because of the injury history and lack of repetitions, Krook is still fairly raw and may not move as quickly through the system as a typical collegiate pick. Should Krook struggle to repeat his delivery more consistently and sure up his command, he has enough stuff to foresee a future at the back end of a bullpen, where his power can exceed the lefty specialist role (think Kevin Siegrist).
2016 MLB Draft Profile: Matt Krook