Ryan
Zeferjahn

2014 All-Centennial League - 2nd Team

4/27/15 - Kansas commit and rising 2016 MLB Draft prospect RHP Ryan Zeferjahn. 6-foot-3, 190-pound righty with wide shoulders and a strong lower half with the ability to add some weight and strength. A repeatable delivery and power fastball that was 93-94 mph several times throughout the over six innings he pitched including a 95 in the first frame.

4/10/15 - Zeferjahn is a right-handed pitcher that attends Seaman HS in Topeka, KS. Kansas commit and 2016 MLB Draft prospect. 6-foot-3, 180-pound frame, strong lower half, ideal pitcher’s frame, room to fill out more. Long arms and legs. Under control delivery, works from tall balance point, aggressive move to the plate. Low three-quarters slot, fast arm, athletic finish. Repeats. Commands fastball well, squares up catcher glove side, arm side with occasional hard sink, 91-93 mph first three innings, touched multiple 94’s and one 95. Hard breaking ball, slurve type, 80-82 mph. Feel for sinking change-up, dies at plate, 76-77 mph. Significant velocity and command improvement from the spring of 2014.

2/16/15 - Zeferjahn is a right-handed pitcher that attends Seaman HS in Topeka, KS. Class of 2016. Projectable 6-foot-3, 185-pound frame. Long arms and legs. Delivery under control working to tall balance point. Slight turn during knee lift. Aggressive move to plate, low three-quarters slot, fast arm, finishes square. Repeats well. Fastball with late life, 89-91 mph, topped out at 92. Short, controllable slider, 83-85 mph, strikes. Change-up dies arm side and down at plate, fastball arm speed, plus pitch, 80-81 mph. Top prospect at the event.

6/18/14 - Zeferjahn is a physically impressive 6-foot-4, 180-pound right-handed pitcher.  He has a rhythmic delivery with balance and throws with easy three quarters arm action.  His fastball registered in the 85-88 mph range with late life – cutting arm side, running arm side.  He also showed a short 73-74 breaking ball and feel for a sinking change-up, a pitch he sells with fastball arm speed.  In the game he struck out three out of the four batters he faced.  Zeferjahn is one of the top class of 2016 pitching prospects in the area.

6/18/14 - Zeferjahn is a physically impressive 6-foot-4, 180-pound right-hand hitting first baseman.  During defensive evaluations he fielded everything cleanly and showed a very strong arm.  His top throw was clocked at 85 mph – an exceptionally high mark for a first baseman.  At the plate he hits from a slight crouch and has a slightly open stance.  He has a fluid hand load and strides inline.  Zeferjahn has loose hands and generates some bat speed using an upper-half dominant swing.  He has a long swing with his power tool grading out higher than his hit tool – if he connects, the ball is going to travel.  His exit velocity was clocked at 88 mph, one of the top marks in camp.  He ran a 4.68 home-to-1B from the right side.  He also has a big arm on the mound and is one of the top pitching prospects in the area in the 2016 class - which is likely to overshadow his work as a position player.

6/3/14 - RHP/1B Ryan Zeferjahn (’16 Topeka Seaman) had an impressive day throwing 84 mph across the infield, while putting up the top hitting exit velocity in camp at 91 mph.  The 6-foot-3, 180-pound righty also threw his fastball 82-84 in the bullpen.

5/29/14 - Zeferjahn in a 6-foot-3, 180-pound sophomore right-handed pitcher for Topeka Seaman with a projectable frame and plenty of room to add weight.  His delivery has rhythm and balance throughout.  He throws from a three-quarters slot with minimal effort and his fastball worked mostly in the 83-86 mph range but did spike up to 88 once in the first inning.  His velocity dropped off significantly from the stretch as he worked 80-81 mph with runners on base. He also features a 68-69 breaking ball and 74-75 change-up that he used against both right-handed and left-handed hitters.  He has the ideal pitchers frame and his arm works – definitely a strong follow for college coaches going forward.

4/20/19: A second team All-Big 12 performer a year ago, Zeferjahn parlayed his success into a cameo on the Collegiate National Team last summer. While he struggled in the small sample with Team USA, he showed the ability to dial up double plus fastball velocity in a relief role. Now resuming his starting role in his junior campaign, he's excelled at missing bats (11.02 SO/9) and opponents are hitting just .186 against him. In a recent look against West Virginia, Zeferjahn paced himself at 91-94 in a rain shortened six inning start. On a couple occasions he reached back for 95-96, using notably more effort in the process. At 78-81, the velocity on his slurvy breaking ball was down a tick from the summer where it was a mid-80s offering. In this viewing it played like a fringe average pitch, lacking crispness conducive to putting hitters away. He did show an aptitude in turning over an above average changeup. At 77-80, there's considerable separation from his fastball, with deceptive arm speed and late arm side fade. Long limbed at six-foot-five with sloping shoulders, Zeferjahn has a low release that he doesn't always repeat. As a result, the command on all three of his offerings presently below average. If a team believes his projectable frame and three usable pitches translate into a rotation spot, he could be selected in the late Day One, early Day Two range. For me, he profiles as a late inning reliever where his stuff has proven to play up in shorter stints. (Granger)

6/27/18: Long bodied righty with a big arm. Fastball ranged from 95-97 mph, mostly 96. A bit straighter than most with a low three-quarters slot, he generates the velocity with plenty of effort in his delivery. Gave up a long home run when he left a 96 mph fastball out over the plate. Showed several plus sliders with hard bite at 84-87 mph which generated several swing/misses. Change-up was well below average at 82-84 mph. It’s a distant third pitch. Struck out four of the eight batters he faced while allowing two runs in two innings pitched. Currently, Zeferjahn has a backend reliever profile with two plus pitches. He must refine his command and develop his changeup as a weapon against left-handed hitters to receive Day One consideration in the 2019 draft. (Seifert)