Follow @PrepBaseballVA
Facebook + Instagram

Today we want to highlight five pitchers that have made a jump inside the rankings. Included in this story are videos and insights into the movement for each player.

VA/DC Class of 2027: Arms On The Rise

*Players listed in alphabetical order*

Robert Kilpatrick III RHP / OF / Washington-Liberty, VA / 2027 Long and lean 6-foot-2 frame. True sophomore that is four months shy of being sixteen as it stands today. Late intent to the delivery with above average arm speed. Longer arm path and works from a low three-quarter arm slot. The fastball is mostly 84-86 mph and has been up to 87 mph. In addition to the mid 80's sinker profiled fastball, Kilpatrick has shown feel for secondary, including a solid changeup. More gas in the tank for this athletic right handed arm.

Nolan Lamm RHP / 1B / WILLIAM MONROE HIGH, VA / 2027 There were not many arms at the Mid-Atlantic State Games that were quite as impressive as the valley area right hander. Higher three-quarter arm slot and really gets behind the mid-upper 80's fastball. Very quick arm and maintains his arm speed on secondary, contributing to his upper 70's power breaking ball. In addition to the two aforementioned above average offerings, Lamm shows a changeup as a solid third pitch. The breaking ball has depth, showed feel for the zone (62%/K), and elite raw spin (<2979 RPM). He has begun to creep up in the rankings and is making his case for the current top right hander in the state.

Joe Joe McDonald RHP / 3B / Independence , VA / 2027 The frame has really begun to take shape for the 6-foot-2 right hander. While the velo (82-85 mph) could still use some gains, the movement he is able to get out of the fastball is impressive. McDondald averaged 16" of arm side run and was able to land it in a tight Trackman zone over 60% of the time. He showed a solid feel running the fastball back to the glove side of the plate. In addition to the feel for the zone with the fastball, he landed a breaking ball nearly 80% of the time, and showed some feel for a changeup as well. The first inning was a little up and down, but he absolutely dominated in his second inning of work. This arm should continue to make gains as he matures and has the chance to throw some quality innings at Indy this spring.

Jackson Riedel RHP / OF / West Potomac, VA / 2027 6-foot-1 athletic frame with proportional lean strength. Solid athlete on the mound and in the field, but has some separators that would point you towards thinking this is an arm first. While Riedel was up to 87 this fall, it was the curveball that was the big winner. Both breaking balls were a bit soft in the velo department and will need to firm up, the curveball had hard downer action and the makings of a true finisher. The slider also had some solid metrics and showed some promise. In addition to the two breaking balls, Riedel was able to kill spin on the upper 70's changeup and displayed some feel for the zone.

Aiden Tuck OF / RHP / POWHATAN HIGH, VA / 2027 While Tuck is being included in the arm risers story, he could be mentioned in either story. The two-way talent continues to improve on an already strong set of tools. The Powhatan HS product turned out a 6.89 60, was 94 mph from the outfield, had a 363 ft max distance at the plate, and was up to 87 mph on the mound. It is easy to see the arm talent with Tuck, that is one main reason he is featured in this story. Although he was fastball exclusive during this two inning outing, he competed in the zone and overpowered hitters with the 85-87 mph offering. While there is still some pitchability that needs to be added and refined with the sophomore right hander, the arm talent and ability to compete in the zone on one pitch leaves some intrigue.