Scouting the 2015 Draft: James Kaprelian

James Kaprelian put up dominating numbers for UCLA last year and in 2013 as a freshman.  He is one of the bigger college pitchers in this draft at 6'4", 200 lbs.  He has plenty of room to put on another 10-10 lbs to fill out his frame.  His FB has been reported to range from 88-94 MPH.  From what I can gather, he tends to sit 89-92.  In one interview I read, he seemed almost obsessed with keeping the ball down in the zone.  He seems to be something of a curveball wizard with unusual command of several variations of the pitch.  He is able to use it as a strike 3 pitch or to steal early strikes pitching backwards.  He also has a split-change.  That particular 3 pitch mix just might play at the MLB level despite his velocity challenges.   If he were to gain velocity with more weight and more strength, he could be a future ace.  Here are his stat lines for his first two college seasons:

2013:  0-0, 1.55, 40.2 IP, 24 BB, 53 K.
2014:  7-6, 2.29, 106 IP, 35 BB, 108 K.

In the BA interview I read, he comes across as a highly intelligent kid who studies pitching intently.  In fact, he talks much like I would expect a pitching coach to talk.  He apparently went so far as to offer pitching advice to Thomas Eshleman of CS Fullerton who is a pretty good college pitcher in his own right.  BA has him ranked as the #21 draft prospect for 2015 while Kiley McDaniel has him outside the top 50 but mentions him as someone to watch.  He does not seem like a Giants type of first rounder, but if he falls, I could see them taking him in the supplemental round or 2'nd round.