We continue our top 100 countdown with Coastal Carolina right-handed pitcher Jason Bilous at 99.
The talented pitcher was drafted in the 29th round of the 2015 MLB Draft by the Los Angeles Dodgers despite missing his senior season of high school because of Tommy John surgery.
Bilous ended up going to Coastal Carolina where he helped the Chanticleers win the College World Series in 2016. He started an elimination game against Texas Tech in the College World Series, giving up 3 earned runs over 2.1 innings in a game the Chanticleers obviously went on to win.
The first two years in college haven’t been great for Bilous, but you can’t deny the talent is there.
During that freshman season in 2016 he compiled a 4.43 ERA in 16 games (10 starts) with 47 strikeouts in 44.2 innings pitched. The walks were really high as a freshman as he gave up 35 free passes, which is to be expected a year removed from Tommy John surgery.
However, those command issues didn’t improve much last year as he walked 42 batters in 52.2 innings, which led to a 4.61 ERA. He continued to strike out over a batter an inning with 60 punchouts.
Bilous has spent the past two summers in the ultra competitive Cap Cod League. After his freshman season he posted a 5.52 ERA in just 14.2 innings with 8 strikeouts, 14 walks and 15 hits.
Those struggles continued this past summer as he had a 5.18 ERA in 33 innings with 37 strikeouts, 30 walks and 25 hits.
His K/9 rate obviously leaves much to be desired, but he has to limit the walks if he’s going to progress as a collegiate and major league pitcher.
The 6-foot-2, 180 pound right-hander has some cross-body action in his delivery, which I think can attribute to the inconsistancy. It looks like he’s still trying to find the right release point for his pitches, which include a fastball in the low 90’s, a change-up and a developing slider.
You can see his draft profile video from 2015 here.
This is obviously a huge year for Bilous. After two subpar seasons, this is another chance for him to break out and prove he’s still an elite pitcher. He’s now three years removed from Tommy John surgery, so hopefully we get to see the Bilous we all expected to see when he committed to Coastal Carolina.
You can check out the rest of our Top 100 by clicking here.
