Our countdown continues with an up-and-coming pitcher in Tennessee right-hander Zach Linginfelter.
He was ranked as the best right-handed pitcher in the state of Tennessee coming out of high school, and the 19th best right-handed pitcher in the country by Perfect Game.
The New York Yankees selected him in the 16th round of the 2016 MLB Draft, but he didn’t sign and kept his commitment to play at Tennessee.
As a freshman this past spring he made 22 appearances, including six starts, and posted a 3.67 ERA in 56.1 innings pitched with 61 strikeouts, 25 walks, 48 hits and a 1.30 WHIP.
This past summer he made a brief appearance in the Cape Cod League where he threw 3 scoreless innings with 3 strikeouts, 2 walks and 1 hit allowed.
At 6-foot-5 and 225 pounds he gives you a very solid frame to be a starting pitcher at the next level.
He is a draft eligible sophomore this year, so it’s likely he’s gone after this season.
I think we see Tennessee ride him in 2018 and get him well over 80 innings pitched. As long as he keeps his ERA around three and strikes out a batter an inning he’ll be a top pick in the upcoming draft.
I feel cheated because we haven’t see enough of this top prospect yet, so make sure you get a good look at him this year because he could be gone.
