Alexander
Rao

Cape Cod- Power-armed Notre Dame righty with a reliever profile. With an uptempo three-quarters delivery, Rao's arm can lag, pushing his fastball to his arm side, and his release point was inconsistent across his arsenal, but he flashed three promising pitches: a 91-93 fastball that bumped 95 with plus spin rates in the 2400-2500 rpm range, an 81-82 changeup with solid arm speed and tumble, and an 82-83 slider with slight tilt and average bite. He has a thick, durable frame and good mound presence but needs to finetune his mechanics and throw more strikes.

05/28/17 - Notre Dame recruit. Currently stands at 6-foot-3, 225 pounds on a large, strong frame. Pitched with confidence and showed a good demeanor on the mound. Repeats windup well and stays balanced throughout his delivery. Threw a heavy fastball that was mostly 86-89 mph, touching 90 a few times. High percentage of first pitch strikes. Also mixed in a 79-81 mph changeup with some sink, a 70-71 mph curveball with depth, and a 74-75 mph slider. 

9/6/16- Committed to the University of Notre Dame.

6/16/16- Uncommitted incoming junior standing at 6-foot-4, 240 pounds with a strong, durable, large frame with a thick lower half. Throws out of the high ¾ arm slot with a simple and repeatable delivery. At times can fall off to the side on his follow through. Throws a heavy fastball that sat 85-86 mph, touching 88 with some downward tilt along with a 70-72 mph curveball with a ¾ break.