Moving along in our top 100 countdown we’ve reached number 46 in Wake Forest right-handed pitcher Griffin Roberts.
Roberts was not a top recruit coming out of high school as Perfect Game ranked him as the 45th best prospect in Virginia. And his collegiate career did not get off to a great start with a 9.19 ERA as a freshman in 2016 in just 15.w innings pitched with 18 strikeouts, 14 hits and an alarming 22 walks.
That summer he pitched in the Perfect Game Collegiate League and had a 3.34 ERA in 35 innings pitched with 41 strikeouts, 15 walks and 31 hits.
But 2017 was a huge year for Roberts as he posted a 2.19 ERA in the spring for Wake Forest in 53.1 innings — all out of the bullpen — and 80 strikeouts. He also walks 32 batters and allowed 30 hits for a WHIP of 1.16, which was over a point lower than his freshman mark of 2.30.
Roberts was a draft-eligible sophomore and was taken in the 29th round by the Minnesota Twins, but did not sign.
This year Roberts is looking to make the move to the starting rotation, which would obviously boost his draft stock if successful.
That process started this past summer as he started six games in the Cape Cod League and posted an ERA of 1.97 in 32 innings pitched with 35 strikeouts, 6 walks and 22 hits for a 0.87 WHIP.
Roberts has made great strides to improve his command as is evident by his WHIP numbers in 2017.
If the 6-foot-3, 210 pound righty continues those trends as a starter in 2018, he’ll be one of the top starting pitchers in college baseball.
At the very least, Roberts has the change to be an elite closer at the next level.
