J.B. Bukauskas
School: North Carolina
Position: RHSP
Height/Weight: 6’0, 195
B/T: R/R
D.O.B.: 10/11/96
Previously Drafted: 2014, Round 20 by Arizona Diamondbacks
Scouting Reports:
High School:
Jacob Allen (J.B) Bukauskas attended Stone Bridge High School in Ashburn, Virginia. In the school’s brief history (opened in 2000), they have won many state and regional championships in sports. The school has won titles in cheerleading, girls soccer, hockey and football. Jonathan Allen (2017 1st round draft choice by Washington Redskins) is the most famous alum to date.
As a freshman at Stone Bridge, Bukauskas helped his team win the regular season and district championship. Bukauskas was also First Team All-MET as a Sophomore. In 2014, he was named All MET Baseball Player of the Year after a 7-0 mark with 88 strikeouts and 0 earned runs allowed on the season. J.B. re-classified during the summer after his Sophomore year so that he could graduate and attend his “dream school” of North Carolina a year later. He was rated as the #89 overall high school player in the country by Perfect Game and was also named Perfect Game Underclass First-Team All America in 2013. Bukauskus finished high school with a record of 21-3 while accumulating 264 strikeouts and an ERA of 0.88. In 2014, Bukauskas sent a letter to all 30 major league clubs asking them not to draft him. The Arizona Diamondbacks selected Bukauskas in the 20th round of the 2014 draft anyway, and he chose to attend the University of North Carolina instead of going pro.
College:
The right-handed Bukauskas looked like he belonged in Chapel Hill as soon as he got on campus. During his Freshman season in 2015, he worked 5 innings or more in 10 of his 14 starts. He finished with a 5-3 record and a 4.09 ERA in almost 73 innings, recording 67 strikeouts and 30 walks during his first season. As a Sophomore, Bukauskas made 13 starts and threw 78.1 innings. He earned Second Team All-ACC Honors and finished 7-2 with a 3.10 ERA and racked up 111 strikeouts on the year. He also finished 6-2 with 91 strikeouts and a 2.45 ERA in 10 starts vs ACC opponents in 2016. As a Junior in 2017, Bukauskas has made 13 starts so far on the season. He is 8-0 with a 1.87 ERA in 82 innings pitched. The 20 year-old right-hander has struck out 106 batters and walked 31 for a WHIP of 1.01 in 2017. Bukauskas has been seen as a high draft pick by scouts and publications over the past 3 seasons but he did have his worst outing of the season and one of his worst in his career in the NCAA Tournament against Davidson recently. Bukauskas gave up 6 earned runs in 3.2 innings in what could be his final start for the Tar Heels.
The video below is courtesy of Prospect Pipeline and features most of Bukauskas’ repertoire
Video below is about his pitching mechanics and scapular retraction
In the below video, Bukauskas explains his decision to attend UNC instead of going pro
Below are highlights of Bukauskas’ 11 strikeout game vs Pittsburgh
Baseball America has Bukauskas rated as the #6 prospect in the 2017 draft class. They note that he has refined his slider and they call it the “nation’s best breaking pitch”. He has tremendous command of the pitch which sits 86-88 mph with late, sharp bite and good tilt. Bukauskas pitches off his slider because he commands the pitch better than his fastball. BA mentions that Bukauskas sits 95-97 with his fastball and settles in 92-94 later but it often lacks movement. John Manuel has Bukauskas going with the 6th overall pick to the Oakland Athletics in his latest mock draft. BA also states that he doesn’t frequently use his change up but it earned above average grades as an amateur. The publication also says, “the overall package leads many scouts to chalk Bukauskas up as a reliever but others believe he can start in the Sonny Gray/Lance McCullers mold”.
The North Carolina right-hander is listed as the #7 prospect in the 2017 draft class by mlbpipeline.com. They note that he was 3rd in Division 1 in strikeout rate last spring (12.8 K/9) and he “showcased the most electric arm on the U.S. College National Team during the summer”. His profile says that he can blow away hitters with a pair of plus pitches. Unlike in the Baseball America report, Pipeline says Bukauskas has a more consistent fastball than slider. He made good progress working on his change-up with Team USA and it could be “average with arm side run” in their view. Jonathan Mayo’s most recent draft projection has Bukauskas going #7 overall to the Arizona Diamondbacks but he also links him to the Athletics. Mlbpipeline.com also mentions that he toned down his delivery in college but still throws with effort. They also have concerns about him eventually being destined for the bullpen because of his small stature but they note that some scouts liken him to former Vanderbilt ace Sonny Gray.
Keith Law is the lead prospect writer and draft analyst for ESPN.com and he has rated J.B. Bukauskas as the #5 overall player in the 2017 draft class. Law states that he can “turn over his change up well enough” to have three average offerings. Law’s view is that Bukauskas already has a plus fastball and slider. Keith is usually very conservative with players that profile similar to Bukauskas by projecting them to future relief roles, and he does state that he’s a “6 foot right-hander with no fastball plane and a delivery that makes no use of his lower half, which gives him reliever risk”. In his latest draft projection, Law has Bukauskas landing in Pittsburgh with the Pirates at #12 overall.
Scouting Grades:
Note: These scouting grades are based on the projections at mlbpipeline.com
Fastball: 70
Slider: 60
Changeup: 50
Control: 50
Prospect Overview and Future Outlook:
College starting pitchers with the stuff and experience of Bukauskas usually go pretty high in the draft. He has reliever concerns but his delivery isn’t bad and he has plus stuff. Many scouts believe that he can start and some of those people likely work for teams choosing in the top ten of the draft. His draft stock has pretty much leveled off and by that I mean that he’s likely not falling very far on June 12th.
The White Sox are a self-proclaimed “pitching organization” and Rick Hahn has talked about “waves of talent” recently. Hahn has talked about his desire to add high-impact talent and has also stated that the White Sox are closer to the beginning of their rebuild than the end. Recently, Director of Amateur Scouting Nick Hostetler said that the Sox are looking for “pitchers who pound the zone”. Multiple outfielders have been linked to the White Sox throughout the draft process and Hahn even stated recently that the Sox might “lean towards taking a position player” if players are graded similarly. I think there’s a very good chance that the White Sox take a position player in the 1st round this year but pitching can never be counted out with this organization. Hostetler said, “We’re looking for the best guy, regardless of position, but also somebody who fits into what we’re trying to do”. J.B. Bukauskas is a likely top ten pick but if he’s on the board at the White Sox selection, Hostetler and company will have a big decision to make.
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