Nico Saltaformaggio

RHP Jacob Mayers (@LSUbaseball) is an interesting arm in this year's Draft class. Was outstanding as a true Freshman and pitched his way to a 2.02 ERA with 105 Ks to 58 BB across 75.2 innings en route to taking home Southland Conference Pitcher of the Year honors and being named a First Team Freshman All-American. Took a bit of a step back in 2024 and compiled a 4.58 ERA with an SLC-leading 106 Ks to go along with 76 BB in 70.2 IP. Mayers has a projectable, high-waisted frame at 6'5" and 205-pounds. He doesn't have the cleanest or simplest delivery and he'll struggle to repeat it at times. Mayers has a somewhat abbreviated arm stroke and attacks from an over-the-top slot with present arm speed. Front side will sometimes fly open which has led to command issues, but there's some pretty low hanging fruit to clean up in his operation going forward (Ex: getting more into his lower-half, refining it to become more repeatable). Adding strength and explosiveness will be key. Mayers' fastball is his bread-and-butter pitch. It sits in the 92-95 range, but has been up to 97 out of an outlandish 7-foot release height. His release height is certainly a contributing factor here, but the pitch also averaged an eye-popping 24.3" of ride and nearly 2,400 rpm. Mayers threw his heater a whopping 91% of the time and was still able to generate a 35% whiff rate, including a 30% (!) IZ whiff rate, on it. There are plenty of outlier traits, but his command is below-average. If he can up his competitive pitch % and stay in and around the zone on a more consistent basis, it will make it that much more effective. While his FB is the money-maker of his arsenal, Mayers will occasionally mix in a gyro SL in the low-80s that lacks teeth right now. He's still gaining a feel for the pitch and there is work to be done on it going forward, but it could be a potentially above-average offering in the future. 40/45 currently. One of the biggest question marks with Mayers is the development of a third pitch. He mixed in a handful of mid-to-upper-80s and a couple piqued my interest; one showed some fade to the arm side and another flashed late tumbling life. It's clear he isn't comfortable throwing it yet, but this could be the pitch to develop at least to the point where it's serviceable. Mayers right now is very much a work in progress and all signs right now point to him ending up in a relief role long term. However, he's a very fun, moldable ball of clay to try and develop and get the most out of. As the low hanging fruit continues to get cleaned up—whether it be at LSU or in pro ball—polish will hopefully follow. 5th-8th round pick right now. (📽️: @Nicholls_BSB)