Micah
Bucknam

Cape Cod: Finished the summer with a 3.93 ERA in 16 innings after throwing just seven innings as a freshman at LSU in the spring. The British Columbia native’s two best pitches are a low-90s fastball that will touch the mid 90s and a low-80s slider with two-plane break, but he also shows a changeup in the mid 80s. 

2022 MLB Draft League: LSU signee; Polished prep pitcher impressed against older Draft League hitters, posting a 0.53 ERA in 5 starts. He works at 91-92 (T94.5) with his fastball (30% Whiff%), effectively pitching up in the zone and complementing his heater with a sharp low-80s slider (35% Whiff%) and a nascent changeup.

6-foot-2, 205-pound Bucknam was another one of the big-time arms out in Kamloops and didn’t disappoint, going five strong innings with a fastball that sat 89-91 T92. He allowed some hits early on but settled in and got stronger as the game went along, striking out the final three hitters he faced in the outing. Worked with a curveball at 78-79 that he would pound in the dirt and a few good changeups at 83-84. We’ve had several looks at the draft eligible arm early on this year and the stuff/velocity has been consistent throughout. 

Bucknam toed the mound later in the day and showed a 3 pitch mix and ran his fastball up to 91 mph while sitting 89-90 for the better part of his pen. The fastball had a max spin rate of 2542 while the average was 2489 rpm. The curveball was firmer and the better offering of his two secondaries as it worked in the 79-83 range while the changeup was more of a power pitch in the 87-88 range with some dive down in the zone. 

One of the things that Bucknam does well is he gets down the mound using an efficient lower half while the arm speed is evident coming out of his ¾ slot while really finishing over a firm front side. The LSU commit will be an arm to follow early this spring and we expect the stuff to continue to tick and polish every time he steps on the mound. 

A 6-foot-1,180 pounds right-hander, Bucknam is one of the top arms in the 2021 class. The University of Washington commit consistently sits at 91-92 with his fastball, touching 93. He has a very smooth, effortless delivery, complimenting his heater with a sharp breaking ball in the high 70's and a low-to mid 80's changeup with good arm-side tail. Bucknam shows an advanced feel for pitching and can throw all three offerings for strikes. As he physically matures over the course of the next year, the 16-year old should become one of the top prospects in the country for the 2021 draft.

Popping up on a handful of prospect and select teams is Micah Bucknam, a 6-foot-1 rising RHP in the country with a loose action that has showcased a lively fastball that works in the 84-86 range and has been up to 88 with a sharp curveball at 73-75 that is a swing-and-miss pitch working on same plane as his heater. Projects well and chance to be a power arm with his stock rising quickly.