| Player: Michael Catalano | |||||||||||
| School: Oklahoma | Position(s): RHP | ||||||||||
| Height: 6’0” | Weight: 191 | Bats: Right | Throws: Right | ||||||||
| Summary: Oklahoma may have lost both Witherspoon brothers to the draft in June, but in Michael Catalano, they have someone who looks very ready to replace them in the heart of the Sooners’ pitching staff. Catalano was solid as a freshman, operating out of the Oklahoma bullpen before heading to the Cape, where he pitched fairly well in a bulk/starter role before faltering a little down the stretch as the innings seemed to catch up with him and his velocity and movement decreased. Stuff-wise, Catalano already has a built-out repertoire of four pitches. His fastball will sit from 89-93, with decent movement and good control. He also features a big curveball with good movement and depth, as well as a slider with sharp break that can tunnel very well with the fastball when his release point is consistent. His fourth pitch, a changeup, is still developing, but has shown flashes of excellent movement and is already solid for a fourth pitch. He mixes and matches his pitches very well, and throws all four with confidence. Mechanically, Catalano is very solid. He is comfortable out of both the windup and stretch, and the delivery is simple and repeatable. He delivers from a slightly over-the-top arm angle, but does struggle with the consistency on his release point at times, especially with his breaking pitches, but overall, has a very solid mechanical foundation to work with. For Catalano, the biggest question mark is durability. The pitchability, stuff, and mechanics are all there, but he wore down considerably over his final 10-15 innings last year, so as he progresses through his draft year, his ability to be effective deep into the spring schedule will determine just how high he can go in the draft this summer. | |||||||||||
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