St. Louisan Bryan Hudson Selected by Chicago Cubs in Third Round of 2015 MLB Draft

In Tuesday’s third round of the 2015 MLB Draft, the Chicago Cubs selected a St. Louis-area high-schooler in lefthanded pitcher Bryan Hudson, who attended Alton High School in Alton, Illinois. Hudson, a 6-foot-8, 215-pound lefthander, was dominant during his senior year at Alton, is committed to the University of Missouri, and the Cubs may have to pay him above slot in order to have him break that commitment. Considering that he’s the first pitcher Chicago selected in 2015 after taking outfielders with their first two picks, there’s a high probability that they’ll be willing to do so.

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The 18-year-old Hudson led the St. Louis area with a 0.50 ERA this season. To put that in different terms, he allowed just five earned runs over 70.3 innings. Over 15 games (13 started), he went 10-2 with a 0.90 WHIP, 152 strikeouts, 29 walks, and a .138 opponent batting average.

According to prepbaseballreport.com, Hudson’s fastball maxes out at 93 MPH while sitting in the low 90s, and he also throws a curveball and changeup. While Hudson’s exceptional height doesn’t bode well for him developing high-90s velocity down the line, the fact that he’s so young and can still do more to fill out his tall frame means that he should add at least a few more MPH to his fastball before everything’s said and done. After all, if Hudson continues to display the type of command that he did as a high-schooler, strong velocity should be less of a necessity.

Next: Missouri State RHP Jon Harris Taken by Blue Jays in First Round of MLB Draft