It has been a little while since we have done our last draft profile, so let’s do one today. The Nationals need pitching, so I decided to break down Cameron Flukey, one of the best college pitchers in the class. Flukey, who is the Coastal Carolina ace, has an exciting blend of stuff and command.
Despite being a sophomore last year, Cameron Flukey was one of the best pitchers in college baseball. He helped lead Coastal Carolina to the College World Series championship game, where they fell short against
LSU. Flukey still had a very impressive campaign, and is a near lock to go in the top 15.
With the Nats sitting at pick 11, there is obviously a chance Flukey is off the board. However, with a strong crop of college pitchers, there is a decent chance Flukey falls to pick 11. If he is there, the Nationals will have to seriously consider taking him.
So, what makes Cameron Flukey so special? Well, he is pretty close to the complete package. Flukey possesses a mid to upper 90’s fastball he maintains deep into his starts. The pitch gets above average carry as well. Flukey also has two above average breaking balls with a plus hammer curveball and an above average slider. All of those pitches play up due to his above average command.
Most young pitchers struggle with command, and Flukey was no exception as a freshman in college. He walked 27 batters in 55 innings his first season. Flukey also struggled to keep the ball in the yard. However, his command took a massive leap forward in his sophomore year. In 101.2 innings, Flukey only walked 24 batters. That is 2.1 BB/9, which is elite even for a big leaguer.
Flukey also gave up fewer homers despite pitching nearly double the innings. With his now elite control, Flukey is a super safe college pitching prospect. This is the type of profile the Nationals need. They have a lot of flame throwers with command questions, but not many complete pitchers.
Despite making massive strides as a sophomore, Flukey is still working on his craft. There is a fun video of Flukey working on ironing out his mechanics and refining his pitch shapes. If Flukey takes yet another leap, the Nats could be out of luck, given the fact they are picking 11th.
While Flukey is great, he is not a perfect prospect. His stuff is good, but it does not jump off the page like a Jackson Flora, who we wrote about last month. I am also interested to see how his curveball translates to pro ball.
Flukey’s curveball is arguably his best pitch. It is a bit of a throwback, as it is a slow 12/6 hook. We do not see many sub 80 MPH benders these days, especially not as a primary secondary pitch. I wonder if the Nats would have him lean on his slider more if he gets drafted by them. Flukey clearly has a strong capacity to spin the ball, so maybe the Nats can play with his breaking ball shapes.
Flukey’s fastball is good, but not elite either. Despite that, many people believe Flukey is the best college pitcher in the draft. His command and stuff is a package that does not come around very often.
There seems to be a big three when it comes to college pitchers in this class. Flukey, Flora and Liam Peterson of Florida will all battle it out to be the top college arm. The Nats are unlikely to have their choice of the three, but one of them is likely to slip into their range.
Flukey is the safest of the three. He has a strong four pitch mix with good command. There may not be a true plus pitch, but he does everything at a fairly high level. He was also the best performer of the three last year, posting a 3.19 ERA in over 100 innings.
There also could be more in the tank for Flukey. At 6’6 210 pounds, Flukey has a chance to fill out and add even more velocity. The draft is still a ways away, but we usually know who most of the top guys are. Flukey is going to be one of those guys. MLB Pipeline ranks him as the 9th best prospect and Baseball America has him at 10, so he is a realistic option for the Nats.
This is the kind of prospect I would love for the Nats to draft. Flukey has a chance to fly to the big leagues and make an impact quickly. He could follow the path taken by guys like Trey Yesavage and Chase Burns. Hopefully he can help the Nats in a 2027 playoff run.
Flukey may not have true ace potential, but he is a strong bet to be a number 2 starter. The Nats need guys like that and with the strength of this draft, they should have a chance to get one. If he is on the board, Cameron Flukey would give Paul Toboni the chance to draft a guy who can make an MLB impact quickly.
