2018 3rd Rd (87) Blaine Knight - RHP-Arkansas

[weams]

6' 3 170lbs DOB: 06/28/96

Fourth year redshirt junior. 97 MPH

 

 

Luke's Take: An unflappable competitor who has performed in the toughest conference in college baseball. Knight is a tall, very thin RHP with loose arm and an athletic delivery. He has a strong four pitch mix and good control. His fastball can t97, but he's usually more in the 90-94 range. The offspeed stuff includes a mid-80s slider that could be an above average pitch, a softer curve, and a changeup that flashes but lacks consistency. I think there is potential for average command, but right now he looks like he has trouble locating down in the zone. Despite going undefeated this season and having legit stuff, he gave up an awful lot of home runs. He gives up more hard contact than you'd expect. I'd place the blame on inconsistent stuff and trouble locating pitches off the plate, he almost throws too many strikes. The real question here is can Knight add weight to his frame and hold the mid-90s? If so, there is mid-rotation upside. He's got a pretty high floor too, if he doesn't cut it as a starter, it's hard to see him not being able to help a MLB team as a FB/SL reliever. 

[Can_of_corn]

http://riveraveblues.com/2018/06/2018-draft-prospect-profile-blaine-knight-172314/

Promising.  Interesting they took a cutter/slider guy.

[lovetoaster]

I can dig it. Needs to put on some weight, but he's got a great arm. 

[Orioles1954]

As a native Arkansan, Diamondhog fan and the only Razorbacks/Orioles fan on the planet, I'll just say WOOOO PIG SOOOIIIEEE!!! Great program that does an excellent job of teaching fundamentals. Big game pitcher in the best baseball conference in the NCAA. He could be pitching in the College World Series soon as the Hogs are in the super regionals.

[Can_of_corn]

Just now, lovetoaster said:

I can dig it. Needs to put on some weight, but he's got a great arm. 

Quick arm action, good spin rate.

 

[MachoMachadoMan]

Ranked 48 overall by MLB.com. Say he'd be taken higher if teams weren't worried about pricetag. $663k is slot. If Grenier signs underslot, maybe this is where we see savings invested. 

Curious to hear how he compares to college arms picked last year. Is he comparable to Baumann? Not comparing stuff, but rather prospect status. 

[weams]

4 minutes ago, Can_of_corn said:

Quick arm action, good spin rate.

 

http://riveraveblues.com/2018/06/2018-draft-prospect-profile-blaine-knight-172314/

 

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Scouting Report
At 6-foot-3 and 170 lbs., Knight is lanky and the rare college pitcher with projection. His arm is lightning quick and he sits 90-93 mph with his high spin fastball and touches 95 mph. I have no doubt some teams are looking at his quick arm and skinny frame, and thinking Knight could be a consistent mid-90s guy once he gets under pro instruction and adds some muscle. His cutter/slider hybrid, curveball, and changeup are all quality pitches. Knight is extremely athletic and he repeats his delivery well, allowing him to throw strikes consistently. Put it all together and you’ve got a very athletic right-hander with four pitches, good control, and above-average ability to spin the ball.

Miscellany
In their latest draft rankings Baseball America (subs. req’d) had Knight as the 36th best prospect in the draft class. Keith Law (subs. req’d) had him 41st and MLB.com has him 48th. The Yankees hold the 23rd and 61st overall picks. There are no questions about his signability this year, so the biggest knock on Knight is his size and associated concerns about his ability to hold up under a starter’s workload. Everything else looks good though. Knight seems to be in that sweet spot where 23rd might be too high to take him, but he probably won’t be on the board for the 61st pick.

 

[Can_of_corn]

Just now, MachoMachadoMan said:

Ranked 48 overall by MLB.com. Say he'd be taken higher if teams weren't worried about pricetag. $663k is slot. If Grenier signs underslot, maybe this is where we see savings invested. 

Curious to hear how he compares to college arms picked last year. Is he comparable to Baumann? Not comparing stuff, but rather prospect status. 

Hard to tell, he's projectionable so hopefully his stuff has a level we haven't seen yet.

[lovetoaster]

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RHP Blaine Knight

Oh, great, another SEC righty, right? Not exactly. While Knight is a hard-throwing righthander who plies his trade in the Southeastern Conference, his command is a shade better than most of the arms the Tigers have grabbed in recent years. He went 11-0 and limited opponents to a 2.74 ERA for the Razorbacks this year, and walked just 22 batters in 95 ¹⁄₃ innings (just over two batters per nine). He is razor-thin, at 6’3 and 165 pounds, but still ramps his fastball as high as 97 miles per hour. It sits a bit lower than that, though, and his off-speed stuff give him more of a back-end starter profile.

From a Tigers blog: https://www.blessyouboys.com/2018/6/5/17428726/mlb-draft-2018-day-two-top-prospects-kumar-rocker-tristan-beck-mike-siani-cole-wilcox

[lovetoaster]

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Strengths

Knight has an effortless delivery and pumps his fastball regularly at around 93-95. He mixes in a cutter and slider which has good movement to both sides of the plate. His control and command are excellent due to his easy and repeatable delivery. The main thing scouts like about him is his upside. At 6’3 and only 170 lbs., he has a chance to fill out his frame. Even now at his size, he can throw around 94 on a regular basis. Scouts see a lot of room for strength and improvement.

Weaknesses

While his cutter and fastball are effortless, his curveball and changeup are not yet up to par. Knight needs to develop an off-speed pitch to get upper-level hitters out. His control and command is a plus but he is not someone who will miss a ton of bats. While the development of more secondary pitches would help, if he doesn’t fill out his frame and add strength, many scouts feel he could be injury-prone and not worth a first-round choice.

Overview

Blaine Knight can be a solid starter in the big leagues. He needs to improve on his stuff and work to get stronger. He is a control guy, which scares off some teams as they want the swing and miss potential. Knight profiles as an end of the rotation starter with a ceiling of a number three if he can prove his durability and control at the next level. MLB Pipeline has him ranked at #48 and Fangraphs have the Arizona Diamondbacks taking him at #57.

http://lastwordonbaseball.com/2018/06/04/blaine-knight-2018-mlb-draft-profile/

[rudyrooster]

11 minutes ago, Orioles1954 said:

As a native Arkansan, Diamondhog fan and the only Razorbacks/Orioles fan on the planet, I'll just say WOOOO PIG SOOOIIIEEE!!! Great program that does an excellent job of teaching fundamentals. Big game pitcher in the best baseball conference in the NCAA. He could be pitching in the College World Series soon as the Hogs are in the super regionals.

A real steal at #87.

[hoosiers]

Seems like a quality college RHP with some upside if he can add weight.  Probably will move quickly given experience and age.  Ranked well by national publications.  Strong third round pick IMO.

[MDtransplant757]

I like this pick 

[Orioles1954]

I'm thrilled by the pick. Coach Van Horn of Arkansas is a pitch to contact guy. Hates walks. I have no doubts all aspects of his fundamentals will be sound as Van Horn is a stickler. Frame does concern me.

[lovetoaster]

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Knight is most likely a sandwich-round or second-round choice. While his stuff isn’t quite on Campbell’s level, he has no fringe traits. Command is quite good. Stuff is good. Makeup yields no worries. And at 6-foot-3 and about 170 pounds, he has a projectable body that teams like to see.

https://www.seccountry.com/arkansas/arkansas-baseball-mlb-draft-preview-updates