Riedell Report: Top 10 MLB Draft-Eligible Collegiate Right-Handed Pitchers

Gage Wood (Arkansas Athletics photo)

By Andrew Riedell

As we continue counting down the days to the Major League Baseball draft in Atlanta during the All-Star Break, next up on our list is breaking down and ranking our Top 10 right-handed pitchers in the college ranks! (Note: all players listed as age 20 will turn 21 prior to the date of the draft)

1. Kyson Witherspoon (Oklahoma) Age: 20 Class: Junior

Witherspoon was one of the top pitchers in all of college baseball this year as he was the ace of that Oklahoma rotation. In his first and only year of SEC play, he dominated against the competition. Pitching to a 2.65 ERA in 95 innings and striking out 124 hitters, Witherspoon proved why he is one of the best arms in college. It's also why he comes in at the top of this list.

A five-pitch arsenal led by his fastball, which sits in the mid 90s, has reached 99 multiple times this season, and is simply such a good power pitch. He has a curveball, slider, and cutter to work off the fastball. Witherspoon loves throwing his slider that sits upper 80s, has reached 90-91, and he can shape it into that cutter when he really needs to. He showed a lot of improvement and better command on his low 80s curveball this year, after struggling last season with it being more loopy and left up. Witherspoon is going to be a guy that people are going to see soar through the minor leagues, and I see him potentially leading an MLB Pitching Staff.

2. Gage Wood (Arkansas) Age: 21 Class: Junior

Wood has seen himself fly up draft boards in the recent weeks after a 19-strikeout no-hitter vs Murray State in the Men's College World Series last month. But, if you have watched Wood pitch all year, you would have known that he has had this stuff in him for a while now. Only throwing 37.2 innings this season after missing nearly two months with an arm injury, Wood came back and was put on a pitch count for most of the way before dominating in the month of June.

Coming back from his injury, Wood still displayed swing-and-miss stuff though, as his fastball is probably one of the best fastballs in the draft, sitting 94-96 and topping at 98-99. He does rely on the fastball a lot, but when it has that much power behind it, you probably can rely on it a lot to get swings and misses. He pairs the fastball up with a power curveball that sits low to mid 80s, is really hard to pick up out of the hand, making it really hard to hit. My one concern for Wood is whether MLB clubs view him as a starter or as a potential closer, since he has closing experience from his freshman year.

3. Tyler Bremner (UCSB) Age: 21 Class: Junior

Bremner coming into this season was in the discussion to be a top 5-10 pick. but after struggling a little. he has still found himself as a projected Top 20 pick. After having a dominating 2024 season in the bullpen and starting for the Gauchos, Bremner struggled in a few outings this year, still managing to strike out 111 with opponents hitting only .215 against him. Scouts with whom I talked to were hoping to see him take some strides this year and continue to show off three pitches for strikes, but that hasn't yet been the case.

Bremner’s fastball sat 93-95 this year, and he was able to flash it at 97-98. Some scouts have mentioned they believe there is more room to fill out, so we could see his velocity jump as well. His best pitch is easily his changeup, and he has been able to throw it to any hitter and in any count all season. The issue, though, is his third pitch, the slider that was just not good this season and a struggle to throw for a strike. I will not be surprised if Bremner is slowed down for a season so he can focus on developing a secondary pitch. 

4. Anthony Eyanson (LSU) Age: 20 Class: Junior

The UC-San Diego weekend starter transferred to LSU and became a star within the SEC, considered a second ace by head coach Jay Johnson for the LSU staff behind lefty Kade Anderson. Eyanson started getting draft hype last summer, first after dominating in the Cape Cod League and then with Team USA. Eyanson this year went 12-2 with a 3.00 ERA and struck out 152 hitters in 108 innings.

The thing that sticks out about Eyanson is his ability to throw his off-speed in any count, with his slider becoming his best pitch and really effective for swing-and-miss. His curveball as well is very good, but it does not get the kind of whiffs you prefer from a curveball. Still, hitters are often caught on their front foot and look funny taking the pitch for a strike. One concern with Eyanson we saw in Omaha vs. UCLA was that he doesn’t always have his slider working. His fastball sits 92-95 and can run up into the upper 90s, but it pitches well off his slider and curveball. If he does not have either pitch working, it could be a problem for the future.

5. Patrick Forbes (Louisville) Age: 20 Class: Junior

Since making the full time switch from a two-way player to just focusing on pitching, we have seen Patrick Forbes take huge leaps as a pitcher. This year, he was so fun to watch as the Louisville Friday night starter, where we saw Forbes strikeout 117 hitters in 71 innings. We saw Forbes dominate in Omaha vs Oregon State, when he struck out 10 Beavers including 18 whiffs.

Forbes has run his fastball up to 100 at times this season, but he mostly sits 94-96. His slider also took a couple steps forward this year, turning more into a power slider in the mid 80s with good horizontal movement. Now, the hope is for Forbes to take the next step forward, with whichever team that drafts him helping him focus on throwing more strikes and developing his pitches even more. 

6. J.B. Middleton (Southern Miss) Age: 21 Class: Junior

Middleton's monster 2025 season saw him become a star and rocket up draft boards as an All-American selection and semifinalist for the Golden Spikes Award and Dick Howser Trophy. Middleton was used as a bullpen arm his first two seasons at Southern Miss before being named the Friday starter this year, with a 2.31 ERA, 10-1 record and 122 strikeouts.

Middleton has really grown into his own with the Eagles, going from a guy who sat in the upper 80s to now 93-95 and hitting 97-98. With his fastball, he has shown the ability to live low with it, getting a lot of ground balls with the sink he gets, then being able to elevate it to get popups or swings and misses. It also helps that he has a slider sitting in the upper 80s that can also look like a cutter at times. His slider is filthy and sharp, and it just jumps on the hitters, usually leading to weak contact. His changeup also plays off the slider in the upper 80s as well, displaying three different pitches with elite movement and hard velocity that makes Middleton very projectable with someone reaching for him early in the draft.

7. Riley Quick (Alabama) Age: 21 Class: RS-Sophomore

After getting Tommy John surgery in 2024 and missing the whole season, Quick bounced back and nabbed the Saturday starting job for the Crimson Tide in 2025. In his first year post surgery, Quick recorded a 3.92 ERA in 62 innings, with 70 strikeouts and 24 walks.

The walk number is something you don’t mind here, as pitchers usually deal with a little bit of control issues coming off the surgery. Watching Quick throw though this season, he has shown signs of promise that would prompt MLB Scouts to possibly value him higher than the seventh best RHP. Quick’s sinker sits at 96-97, but he can run it up to 99-100 and could still add some velocity coming back from the surgery. He also could cut the sinker and make it into a cutter which sits at 95 MPH. Quick also shows off a slider and changeup combo which has a lot of promise. The slider has the most promise, though, seen as a wipeout pitch, getting a lot of swings and misses. 

8. Michael Lombardi (Tulane) Age: 21 Class: Junior

I had the pleasure of seeing Lombardi pitch in person for the Green Wave multiple times this season. Every time I talked to Head Coach Jay Uhlman and Pitching Coach Anthony Izzio, they harped on how this kid is going to be special for an MLB team. I couldn’t agree more as when this Tulane team needed it most, they turned to him.

Lombardi began as a two-way player for the Green Wave this season, starting in center field and closing out games. He put together a 2.14 ERA and 11 saves but ended up starting for Tulane in the back half of the season. Lombardi has a fastball that will sit 92-94, but it can run up into the 96-97 range. His best pitch, though, is his curveball, graded as one of the best at the recent MLB Draft Combine. The curve sits 78-81, and it is such a sharp pitch that if he develops it another year or two, he can get a lot of swings and misses, even start landing it in first pitch if he chooses.

9. Marcus Phillips (Tennessee) Age: 20 Class: Junior

You know this class of college arms is deep when Marcus Phillips is ninth on the list. I am a big fan of watching him pitch, and Volunteer head coach Tony Vitello said after his outing against LSU that Marcus pitched like a matured veteran on the mound. I couldn’t agree more, as there aren’t a lot of college arms with whom we can compare his velocity and physical attributes.

Phillips sits in the upper 90s, mostly in that 96-98 range, but we have seen it run it up to 100-101. He can blow away any hitter in baseball with the fastball. His slider can sit in the upper 80s, touch 90 here and there, but it does not slide more; it's more of a pitch with depth. One pitch I wish we could see Phillips build from, and I feel a team will force him to use, is his changeup. It is probably his best pitch, since he can throw it in the low 90s and create a lot of chases or swings and misses.

10. Chase Shores (LSU) Age: 21 Class: RS Sophomore

Chase Shores is another arm coming off Tommy John surgery and at 6'8" is a guy to watch since he projects so well. Shores started off as a weekend starter for LSU this season, but he ended up turning into one of the most reliable relievers in the back half of the season, throwing the final pitch of the Men's College World Series.

Following the surgery, Shores also dealt with the not-uncommon control issues in his starts, walking 22 batters. But, after moving to the bullpen after the Alabama series, he walked only nine.

Shores as a reliever showed a fastball that sat in the upper 90s and could hit 101-102 at times. If used as a reliever, he could have a really good career as a closer or short reliever. His slider stole the show at the MCWS too, as he ran it into the upper 80s and low 90s, including a 91 MPH slider that he spun at 3009 RPM. If he can have better control and harness the velocity and spin on his pitches, he could be a steal for a team in the 2nd or 3rd round.

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