Better know a draft prospect: Riley Quick

Another college pitcher with a very projectable future

Over the last several years, Alabama baseball has been one of the premier college baseball programs, winning at least 30 games in six straight years (excluding the 2020 Covid year) with a record of 41-18 this season. The reputation for success down in Tuscaloosa has translated to the MLB draft, where they have seen six players selected in each of the last two years. This year, Alabama will send several prospects to the draft, with the top name being RHP Riley Quick.

Quick was recently mocked to the Royals in an article by MLB Pipeline, who has him ranked as their 38th overall prospect. In their scouting report, they had this to say about Quick:

Though Quick’s fastball and slider grade as plus-plus at their best and he can back them up with a quality changeup, he doesn’t miss nearly as many bats as his pure stuff indicates he should. His pitches move so much that they can be difficult to harness, leaving him with decent control but spotty command. He has logged fewer innings than most third-year college pitchers and the hope is that he’ll approach his frontline-starter ceiling as he gains more experience and polish.

Quick was a star at his local high school as a true two-sport and two-way athlete. He was a big-time football recruit with a four-star grade on 247 as an offensive tackle and defensive end. He was a 2020 MaxPreps Junior Second Team All-American and received D1 offers to continue his football career at the highest level.

But when the spring came around, he switched to baseball, where he caught the eyes of several big schools. Quick was a great two-way baseball player posting a sub-1.00 ERA and a 6.11 K/BB rate on the mound, as well as an OPS over .800 at the plate in his Junior year. Then, as a senior, Quick stepped up again, going 13-1 as a starter and posting an ERA of 0.92 with 131 strikeouts over just 83.2 innings.

Quick was then faced with a decision: he could go for the MLB draft out of high school, or he could go to college, for either football or baseball. He committed to Alabama as a baseball player and abandoned his football career, a decision he would not regret after an incredible pitching career at Alabama has made him one of the top prospects in the 2025 MLB draft.

Riley Quick made an immediate impact at Alabama out of the bullpen, where he posted a 3.68 ERA over 22 innings in 2023, but struggled with walks, allowing 21 free passes. Despite the struggles with command, Quick displayed his incredible stuff with a lethal sinker-slider combo and got 26 strikeouts in his first season of college baseball. Quick was moved into the rotation as a sophomore and hoped to improve his command, but an elbow injury in his first start of the year required Tommy John surgery, and he missed the rest of the year.

Quick returned to the mound in 2025, where he finally got his chance to show what he could do as a starter, and he did not disappoint. This season, Quick gave the Crimson Tide 14 starts, which combined for 62 total innings and finished the year with a 3.92 ERA. He showed improved command, but there were still concerns with his 24 walks, 7 hit batters, and 8 wild pitches. For the most part, he was able to make up for it with his 70 strikeouts and only allowed 5 home runs all year.

The scouting profile for Quick is that he is very projectable. His massive 6’6’’, 225 pound frame is imposing to hitters and can make his primary pitches very deceptive. Quick ranks as my seventh-best pitcher in this year's class, and his power sinker is among the best you will ever see. When you watch him play with his big frame, power stuff, and ability to force swing and miss, you can easily see how he may fit into an MLB rotation down the line.

The sinker sits upper-90s, touching triple digits at times, and with his big frame, he can maintain that velocity deep into games. The slider is his best secondary offering, sitting 83-86, and has great movement both horizontally and vertically. He also has a solid low-90s cutter that works well against lefties, jamming the bad part of the bat. His changeup can be an above-average offering, but he can struggle to command it effectively.

MLB Pipeline: 38

Kiley McDaniel: 46

Baseball America ($): 32

Keith Law ($): 14

The next step in Quick’s development will be getting a feel for his changeup and keeping hitters' timing off that electric sinker. Building the command specifically for the changeup will be essential for him to continue being effective as a starter as he moves through the organization. He already has a good four-pitch mix, and being a sinker pitcher, he may not need to add another offering, but he could look to create variations to his slider if needed.

Quick’s lack of experience and struggles with command may move him down some teams' boards. Despite this, his profile fits great in the Royals organization and could lead them to select him below slot value with one of their two first-round picks. If the Royals elect to spend above slot value with their first pick, saving money with a somewhat risky prospect like Quick could be in the cards for them on draft day.