Latest MLB Pipeline Mock Has D-backs Taking Top College Arm

The Diamondbacks are in an interesting position in the 2023 MLB Draft. As we quickly approach the draft, which is barely more than three weeks away, we'll start to see more mock drafts. In his latest mock draft for MLB Pipeline, Jim Callis has the D-backs taking Wake Forest right-handed pitcher Rhett Lowder.

12. D-backs:

Rhett Lowder, RHP, Wake Forest

The name most closely associated with the D-backs is prep shortstop Colin Houck, but one of the top college arms might be too tempting to pass up. Arizona also is tied to several other high school infielders (Nimmala, Miller, Colt Emerson) as well as Troy.

Lowder was named the ACC Pitcher of the Year for both the 2022 and 2023 seasons. In 17 starts with Wake Forest this season, he is 15-0 with a 1.92 ERA and a 131/21 strikeout to walk ratio and a 0.935 WHIP. His dominance this college season has pushed him up into consensus Top 10 consideration for the draft.

He throws both a four-seamer and a two-seamer, which sit in the low-90s with a top speed of 96 MPH. He also features a slider and a changeup as his main secondary pitches, the latter arguably being his best offering. Lowder's delivery is very repeatable and he has the competitiveness to thrive in a big league rotation.

It's also worth noting that pitchers with similar makeup to him have recently gone on to outperform their raw tools. The two most recent examples that come to mind are D-backs ace Zac Gallen and 2020 Cy Young winner Shane Bieber. Both pitchers were Friday night starters out of quality collegiate baseball programs, with Gallen coming from North Carolina and Bieber from California-Santa Barbara, which also fits Lowder's description quite well.

It would be an interesting dilemma if Lowder is available when Arizona is on the clock with the No. 12 selection. Do they target a pitcher with more upside and more risk or do they go after a guy who has a very safe rotation profile? Lowder's projected ceiling as a starter is a No. 3, which is a starter who throws 170 innings with an ERA around 3.80-4.00 in Arizona.

The D-backs have their top four pitching prospects in their current Triple-A rotation, but the organization is thin on starting pitcher prospects in the system. On our current Top 30 Prospects List, only 11 are listed as starting pitchers. The odds that most of them will develop into MLB starters is very low, so they need to add more long term rotation depth.