The right pitcher Eric Cerantola has some of the best pure stuff in this year’s college pitching crop. But he also has such a hard time taking advantage of it that Mississippi State trusted him with just 5 2/3 innings in the last three months and knocked him out of their LA roster. University World Series.
MLB’s first Draft Combine is a perfect place for prospects like Cerantola, who have something to prove with the draft just over two weeks away. One of the main events on Thursday was an afternoon of pro-style workouts at the US National Baseball Training Complex. And he easily stood out among the 13 pitchers who participated in five-minute sessions on the mound:
Cerantola displayed the best fastball speed among that group, averaging 95 mph and hitting 96 four times. The other dozen pitchers produced just two 96s, one each from right-handers Mason Erla (Michigan State) and Tyler Mattison (Bryant). Cerantola also showed the highest turn speeds of the afternoon, peaking at 3,116 rpm with an 83 mph break ball -curve-.
He had things even better during fall practice in Mississippi, which could set the stage for going to the first round this July. But Cerantola couldn’t capitalize on that momentum, throwing his way out of the rotation a month into the season. He has a certain stiffness in his delivery that makes it difficult for him to place his pitches where he wants.
Florida State outfielder Elijah Cabell, another college prospect with impressive raw power who struggles to get the most out of it, also impressed during afternoon practice. Scouts have marveled at his ability to hit baseballs, but concerned about his ability to make contact since his high school days, and he put on the biggest show at batting practice among the 37 batters who participated.
Cabell was the only player to hit three home runs and had the two longest measured bursts at 414 and 416 feet. He also hit the two hardest balls of the day, with exit speeds of 112 and 113 mph.
Cabell hit 15 home runs this spring for the Seminoles and has 29 in three seasons, and he also has a strong arm and fits the right-field profile. But he’s also a career .245 hitter with a 40 percent strikeout rate, and he’ll have to curb his swing-and-miss tendencies to make it to the big leagues.
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Other hitters who impressed with their power during batting practice were Florida International outfielder Justin Farmer, Cambridge (Mass.) Rindge and Latin School outfielder Jackson Linn, first baseman for Damien HS (La Verne, California), Kaden Moeller and Wake Forest first baseman Bobby Seymour.
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