Number 79 on our Top 100 Countdown is Arkansas left-handed pitcher Matt Cronin.
Coming out of high school he was the 185th best prospect according to Perfect Game, and the 33rd best recruit in the state of Florida.
He went undrafted in the 2016 MLB Draft despite being mentioned as a top five round pick.
Instead he kept his commitment to Arkansas where he had a very good season as a freshman in limited work.
He made 15 appearances and posted a 2.00 ERA in 18 innings pitched with 31 strikeouts. He allowed just 8 hits and 12 walks for a WHIP just over one.
Cronin also won three games and picked up his first collegiate save.
This past summer he played in the Coastal Plain League where he had a 1.96 ERA in 12 appearances and 18.1 innings pitched. He struck out 32, walked 11 and gave up 14 hits.
This 6-foot-2, 190 pound lefty has a bit of a funky delivery. He has a high leg kick that goes behind the rubber and actually points his foot towards center field. Then that leg whips around as he lands.
I could see this creating some mechanical flaws, and it could also hurt him at holding runners on base. As soon as that foot crosses the rubber they’re free to go.
As for his stuff, he has a fastball that tops out at 95, but sits between 91-93. He has a plus breaking ball that he can command very well, and he has a developing change-up.
You can tell from his first year at the collegiate level that Cronin has strikeout stuff.
He may compete to be a starting pitcher this year, but I think his future is as a closer. I think that’s where we ultimately see him land at Arkansas, and I think he has the ability to be one of the more dominant closers in college baseball as soon as 2018.
