One aspect of the MLB Draft League that sets itself apart from other summer baseball leagues is its access and utilization of data capture. Each ballpark is equipped to capture live, in-game metrics and video to help further develop and scout the league’s prospects ahead of the MLB Draft.
Working with each team’s Data Coordinators, every week we’ll share a select group of players, or “Data Darlings”, who throughout the week and season have set themselves apart from the league, their trends and how it has impacted their summers.
Jack Messmore, Mahoning Valley: After an All-Horizon League Second Team season with Youngstown State, Messmore has showcased one of the more intriguing fastballs of the summer. While it sits just below 90 mph, it gets top-end spin with an average of 2,568 rpm (max: 2,718) with plenty of ride at an average induced vertical break (IVB) of 18.7”. Furthermore, he’s been able to induce vertical break as high as 26.5”, hitting 20+ 25 of the 78 times he’s thrown a fastball. Messmore lands the heater for strikes consistently with a strike rate of 70.5% and has seen batters chase the pitch 29.3% of the time.
CJ Richmond, State College: Recording an even 20 extra-base hits with Purdue during his fifth year season, Richmond has been a true power bat for State College early on. The left-handed hitter has averaged 92.1 mph in exit velocity and set the league’s season-best max of 110.7 mph on Wed., June 10 on a single down the right field line. To further emphasize his average exit velocity, Richmond is recording hits 95+ mph off the bat 57.1% of the time and consistently getting strong contact with a 35.7% line drive rate.
Carsten Sabathia III, Trenton: In his second summer with the Thunder and the MLB Draft League, Sabathia is coming off arguably his best NCAA season to cap off his senior year with Houston. Slugging .511 through 37 games, Sabathia’s power boost can also be reflected in his Draft League output. While currently his average exit velocity of 85.2 mph is below his 2025 mark of 86.7 mph, when he gets his “A-swing” off, the 22-year-old has seen improvement. He smashed a double 110.5 mph off the bat which would have been the hardest-hit ball of the summer had Richmond not top it less than 20 minutes later. It surpassed his 2025 maximum exit velocity of 108.1 mph. When looking at his hardest-hit balls for 90th percentile exit velocity, Sabathia is over four mph past his 2025 mark of 102.5 mph at 106.6.
Brett Antolick, Williamsport: The East Carolina product made his Draft League debut with the start Wed., June 10 and worked three innings of one-run ball while showcasing his ability to kill spin on a splitter. It averaged around 80 mph with 1,062 rpm and got as low as 870, which he placed on the outside corner for a strike. His first strikeout with the Crosscutters came in an at bat that three consecutive whiffed splitters a little over 85 mph with 1,099 rpm (6.5” HB / 4.1” IVB), 1,071 rpm (9.5” HB / -3.3” IVB) and 1,048 rpm (4.7” HB / -2.8” IVB) respectively. Overall, the pitch had a whiff rate of 80% and every time it was swung at in the zone, resulted in a whiff. Batters also chased the pitch 2/3 of the time. Antolick also utilized a cutter, slider and fastball in his arsenal.
Miles Smith, West Virginia: Primarily utilizing a fastball and slider, Smith has excelled at spinning the ball and keeping it on the ground when put in play. The fastball averages 92.3 mph, topping at 94.2 after pitched 79 times. It features solid spin with an average 2,360 rpm moving 8.8” horizontally to the arm side with 14.2” IVB. It’s a go-to strike pitch with a 72.2% strike rate and landing in the zone 57%. Even with the high zone rate, when the Kansas State product misses the zone, 29.4% of the time batters chase. Smith’s offspeed presents as a power slider with an average velocity of 86.4 mph. While spinning on average 2,751 rpm, he’s been able to reach 3,000+ twice. It moves with 8.6” of glove side movement horizontally, and 1.3” IVB. With the speed and late break, the 23-year-old has generated a whiff rate of 55.9% of the time with an in-zone whiff rate of 31.6%. The ability to throw strikes with swing-and-miss stuff has allowed the West Virginia right-hander to carry a strikeout rate of 29.5% and a miniscule walk rate of 6.6%.
Pierce Quinn, Aberdeen: The high school right-hander out of Maryland and University of Virginia recruit, Pierce Quinn flashed one of the highest spin arsenals in the league across his two starts. The 6-foot-2, 210-pound 18-year-old deploys five different pitches, starting with the four-seam fastball 90.7 mph, up to 93.6mph, and generated whiffs 43.2% of the time and 37.5% of the time in-zone. The fastball averages over 2,500 rpm spin and 19.3 inches of IVB, peaking at 2,707 rpm and 23.5 inches of IVB. The IronBirds right-hander, no longer with the team, has a pair of breaking balls he spins at 2,300+ rpm. The curveball is the go-to secondary offering, throwing it 25.9% of the time, averaging 3,016 rpm, -8.6” IVB and -13.0” HB for a chase% of 31.3%. He throws the slider just 5.8% of the time, but has generated three whiffs on four swings on the pitch. It averages 3,059 rpm, up to 3177rpm, his highest spin pitch, with movement patterns of -4.7” IVB and -12.7” HB. Quinn rounds out his arsenal with a cutter at 87.6 mph and changeup at 84.9 mph and 1,000 rpm less than his breaking stuff at 2,010 rpm. It’s a deep, high-spin arsenal that he’s able to throw for strikes and miss bats with multiple pitches.
Will Bartkoski, Williamsport: Will Bartkoski’s sinker, curveball, changeup combination from a roughly three-foot release height allowed him to turn in one of the league’s best relief appearances of the summer. The right-hander out of Georgia State allowed just two walks over four scoreless innings while generating six whiffs on the changeup, two on the curveball and one on the sinker. Bartkoski’s biggest weapon is the firm changeup at 86.7 mph, throwing it 70% of the time, averaging -5.6” IVB and 18.6” HB, peaking at 20.9” HB on Thursday. The curveball, thrown roughly 25% of the time, runs in the opposite direction at 73.3 mph and averages 2.4” IVB and -16.4” HB, peaking at -21.3” HB. The pitch has produced a 44.4% whiff rate and 42.9% z-whiff rate, working as a putaway pitch to right-handed hitters with a 50% put away%. The sinker at 90.5 mph follows similar horizontal patterns but sits closer to the 0.0 line as the changeup. The pitch has been up to 91.6mph and averages -0.5” IVB with 20.4” HB. The Crosscutters’ right-hander is heavy on the offspeed stuff from a deceptive angle that’s able to generate whiffs on multiple pitches, as well as produce groundballs at a high clip, 60% on the season so far.
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