2.5K Tennessee right-handed pitcher Garrett Stallings is a bit of a throwback pitcher as he doesn’t rely on the strikeout to get batters out. In fact, during his first two seasons with the Volunteers he’s struckout a combined 76 batters in 148.2 innings pitched. That hasn’t stopped him from being an effective pitcher, even in a difficult SEC. As a freshman in 2017 he had a 3.47 ERA in 70 innings pitched with 30 strikeouts, 13 walks, and a 1.26 ERA.
He got hit around a little bit more as a sophomore giving up 100 hits in 78.2 innings pitched, leading to a higher ERA at 4.58. However, he only surrendered eight walks all year. Stallings attended the Cape Cod League this past summer and boosted his stock entering the 2019 season with a 2.50 ERA over 18 innings (three starts). He even managed to strikeout over a batter an inning with 21, while not surrendering a single free pass. Obviously Stallings has unbelievable control, but it will be his ability to miss bats or create weak contact that will get him to the next level. If he can prove that he can do that over the coarse of the 2019 season, watch out.
