Baseball Prospect Report

By The Baseball Beginnings Guy
December 7, 2009

Have a look at Long Beach State right-hander Jake Thompson pitching in a Fall Ball game.

Thompson is a power right-hander who is going to be a three-pitch horse in the major leagues. He is a potential first-round pick and a probable top-three rounds selection who should be a top-quality No. 1 or No. 2 starter on a good major league staff. Thompson is broadly built with a classic tall right-handed power frame. He has broad shoulders, long arms, and a lower half that looks like it was poured from cement. His power comes from his hips and thighs. He creates extension and gets on top of the ball and his arm action is much smoother than many other power right-handers.

In this outing, Thompson was playing catch. He wasn’t working with a very good catcher and was practicing mostly against left-handed hitters. He pitched with his fastball at 91-94 in this outing. In game action, Thompson can jack his fastball up a notch to the 94-96 range.  His curveball at 81 is going to be a legitimate major league weapon with power and depth. In short, the thing is going to be a hammer.

This was primarily a fastball-only look for Thompson, but he gave us a few change-ups at 81. His physical projection isn’t done, which is pretty impressive considering the kid is already put together. We’ll have a scouting report on him in the near future. Consider this your first look at the guy who might just be the best right-handed college starting pitcher in 2010, and no, I didn’t forget about Gerrit Cole.

Read 2010 College Pitcher Draft prospects

Read Summer 2010 Jake Thompson Scouting Update
Read Jake Thompson Q&A
Read Jake Thompson Scouting Report
Read Jake Thompson Scouting Update
Watch Jake Thompson Video
Watch Jake Thompson vs. Cole Cook

Categories: '10 Videos
Tags: Jake Thompson, Jake Thompson Video, Long Beach State