Ace Lefty Oliver Jaskie Drafted in 6th Round

In the 6th round of the MLB draft, Michigan’s ace lefty Oliver Jaskie heard his name called at the 183rd overall pick to the Seattle Mariners.

Jaskie anchored Michigan’s rotation this year, tying a program record for strikeouts in a single-season with 119 and leading the Wolverines to the best team ERA in the Big Ten conference. Many scouting reports are quick to reference his unorthodox delivery but the ability to repeat the funky mechanics and throw strikes with said delivery. His fastball will max out at around 93 miles an hour but sit comfortably between 89-91, which won’t blow hitters away, but it plays harder because of his ability to paint the corners and coax strike calls from umpires. His secondary pitch, a slider, needs development for the big-league level, but has late life and could turn into a productive “out” pitch. Jaskie does have the option to return to school for his senior season, but MLB Draft Tracker lists his pick as approximately work $248,000, which makes for a very nice payday.

Should he sign with the Mariners, he will likely land at Short Season Everett AquaSox in Everett, WA, where he will begin his professional career immediately. The Mariners’ highest ranked LHP prospect according to MLB Pipeline is Dillon Overton, who was a 2nd-round draft pick in 2013 but has had elbow problems and lost a lot of velocity since. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Jaskie surpass him in that ranking by the end of the season with a respectable showing in his first season of professional ball.

Earlier in the 6th round, the Pirates selected right-handed pitcher and Michigan commit Cody Bolton, a hard-throwing and lanky 19-year old (well, 19 in a week) from Tracy, CA.

Wolverine 247’s Zach Shaw:

With a fastball that can hit 97 miles per hour and averages 93, Bolton will be a prized prospect whether he sticks around to develop at Michigan or forgoes his eligibility to go pro right away. Baseball America noted that the pay scale projects Bolton’s signing bonus to be about $255,000 at his selection.

It’s hard to turn down that much, but imagine in two years a weekend rotation of Kauffmann, Weisenburger, and Bolton.

The draft continues tomorrow and Michigan pitchers Michael Hendrickson and Jackson Lamb are expected to be the next Wolverines off the board. Follow along at mlb.com/draft or on MLB Network beginning tomorrow at 1 PM. Thanks for reading.

Header photo: D1baseball.com