Alex Faedo | RHP

Background
Faedo, 21, was a 40th round draft pick by the Tigers out of a Tampa high school back in 2014. He followed through on his commitment to Florida, where he has emerged as one of the top right-handers in the country. Faedo has a 2.80 ERA with 113 strikeouts and 32 walks in 15 starts and 96.1 innings this season. For his career, he has a 3.06 ERA with 305 strikeouts and 69 walks in 262 innings. It’s worth noting Faedo had minor arthroscopic knee surgery last year, which caused him to miss fall ball and get off to a bit a slow start this year.

Scouting Report
At 6-foot-5 and 225 lbs., Faedo has a big league frame, and as he’s gotten further away from knee surgery, his fastball has ticked back up into the 93-94 mph range. He was down around 90-92 mph earlier this year. His out pitch is a hard slider he’ll throw at any time. There’s some thought Faedo throws the slider too much. A decent changeup is his third best pitch. Even though he’s a good athlete, Faedo’s delivery can get out of whack and his command is below average. Between the heavy slider usage, the less than pretty delivery, and lack of command, more than a few folks see Faedo as a reliever long-term, potentially a very good one.

Miscellany
In their latest draft prospect rankings Baseball America (10th), MLB.com (11th), and Keith Law (13th) all ranked Faedo as a top half of the first round talent. The Yankees have the 16th overall pick. I think the odds are pretty good Faedo, warts and all, will be off the board before the Yankees have a chance to pick because top college performers are always in demand.