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Summary
Many highly touted pitching prospects have come out of Louisville in recent years- Nick Burdi and Dace Kime to name a couple- but Funkhouser is the best of the bunch. A well-built righty with a picturesque delivery, Funkhouser has done nothing but raise his stock in 2015- posting a 2.62 ERA and 77/31 K/BB ratio in 82.1 IP.
Funkhouser shows a feel for his craft that is well beyond his years. He mixes his four pitches constantly, keeping hitters off balance by throwing from a consistent delivery while changing speeds. Employing a 91-93 MPH fastball that can touch 95, a hard slider at 81-83 with a late down and away break on RHBs, an 11-5 curve and a 81-84 MPH change that looks like a legitimate major league offering, Funkhouser is an incredibly complete pitcher. The slider plays excellently off of his heater, as it is almost indistinguishable from the fastball out of his hand and draws a lot of swings and misses.
Mechanically, Funkhouser is very efficient. He uses his lower body very effectively, with lots of leg drive and good knee height in the initial phase of his delivery. His arm action is as good as any prospect in the class, setting his pitching arm early and showing consistent timing. Funkhouser already commands his pitches very well, and there's no reason to believe he won't continue in that regard given his mechanics and feel for pitching.
Funkhouser's pitchability is a calling card. Few college pitchers show a feel for pitching as good as his. He commands his pitches to both sides of the plate and shows an understanding of where each pitch is most effective, and does a great job releasing pitches on the same plane. A hitter facing Funkhouser needs unbelievable focus to avoid being completely fooled by his technician's approach to pitching. Funkhouser's stats don't jump off the page as much as some other college arms like Carson Fulmer, but he's an extremely impressive arm who could be even better in the pros than he has been for the Cardinals.
MLB Projection
Funkhouser has the look of a future #2 starter.
Projected Draft Round
He is a likely top 5 pick who won't slide out of the top 10.
Will he sign?
Yes.
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