In the fourth round of the 2019 MLB draft, the Pittsburgh Pirates selected J.C. Flowers, a right-handed pitcher out of Florida State.
Flowers was a two-way player at Florida State and scouts were split on how he should be used in the future. He’s a very athletic center fielder, who was also a wide receiver in high school. The Pirates announced him as a right-handed pitcher.
This season at Florida State, he had a 1.52 ERA in 23.2 innings over 20 appearances, with a .188 BAA, 11 walks and 22 strikeouts. As a hitter, he put up a .278/.378/.528 slash line, with 13 homers and ten stolen bases, though he also had 62 strikeouts in 216 at-bats, which is very high for college.
He has a low-90s fastball, with a cutter/slider that is his best pitch, along with a serviceable changeup. The potential here on the pitching side is that his athleticism and 6’3″, 190 pound frame, will lead to more velocity and better control with more mound time.
He was ranked 205th by Baseball America and wasn’t among the top 200 prospects for MLB Pipeline.
Here is his player page. His pick comes with a $460,000 bonus slot.
