2016 MLB Draft: Forrest Whitley, RHP, San Antonio, Texas

Almost every draft season there is a big hard-throwing horse from the Texas high school ranks. This year's version is Forrest Whitley, right-hander from Alamo Heights High School in San Antonio.

Whitley has been on the radar for years but his stock has gone up this spring. Last year he was a 250-pound raw thrower, intriguing at 6-7 but in need of polish and better physical conditioning. This year he's slimmed down to around 225. As a result he repeats his mechanics better, enhancing his control, and with no loss of stuff: his fastball is very impressive in the 92-95 range, peaking at 96-97 according to some reports, with "glove popping" life.

Whitley has progressed with his secondary pitches as well. He has a power breaking ball, variously described as a hard curve or a slider, which will be an above-average pitch with a bit more development. Reports on the change-up are mixed: some sources say it is fringy at present and may be average in time, while others say it has taken a large step forward this spring and will be above-average down the line, which would give him three strong pitches.

Committed to Florida State University, Whitley looks like a mid-first round pick at this point, unlikely to end up at college. Potential outcomes include number two starter if everything maxes out, or perhaps a power reliever.

This video from Andrew Krause is from last year

This next video is from this spring and it does look like Whitley is toned up physically compared to last year.