Jesse Biddle jumped onto the prospect scene thanks to his eye-catching size on the mound. However, don’t let the Philadelphia native fool you, he packs plenty of athleticism into his body. The first thing you’ll always hear about Biddle is how much scouts drool over his projectability, and some would compare his projectability favorably to almost any lefty in the entire 2010 prep class. Biddle’s current pitch mix is good as well, despite being a cold-weather pitcher. His fastball is usually an upper-80s pitch that touches 92 with good life, and if he learns how to utilize his size and throw on a downhill plane, he could be a true power pitcher with groundball tendencies. Some scouts project Biddle to sit 92-95 before all is said and done because there’s plenty to dream on with his frame. Biddle’s slow curve projects as a future fringe-average pitch, but if he adds velocity to it with his fastball, it could be an average big-league pitch with time. His changeup is the pitch that has matured the most over the last year, and it’s now a potential plus pitch to complement his fastball. It gets good depth and fade, and its 10 mph differential with his fastball makes it extremely effective. Biddle has true number two starter upside, and teams that believe in that could take him as high as the second round, though he fits more comfortably in the third to fifth round range. His Oregon scholarship may cost $1 million to buy out, but he’ll probably be worth it in the end.
