Ryan Prager has had a strong spring after missing last season recovering from Tommy John surgery. Prager made it a priority throughout his rehab to return and serve as a valuable pitcher for Texas A&M.
The left-handed pitcher is now the undisputed ace of Texas A&M’s pitch staff. With his success has come additional attention. Prager finds himself as a leader on a highly competitive Texas A&M team and an ascending prospect for July’s MLB draft.
“Going through my rehab, I always had the mindset and confidence that I would be in a great spot when I got back,” Prager said. “To see what I have been able to do from a recovery standpoint and then perform, it’s been super eye-opening to me. It also hammers back on the point of gratefulness.”
Prager is a 6-foot-3, 200-pound lefty who throws a fastball, slider and changeup from an over-the-top arm slot, deceptive delivery and repeatable mechanics.
Prager’s pitches complement one another well. His fastball is a low-90s offering that plays up due to his arm slot, deception and the pitch’s late movement. He likes to use it high in the strike zone.
His slider has plenty of movement and plays well off of his fastball. It serves as a respectable off-speed pitch that generates swings and misses. His changeup is also a quality pitch that plays well off of his other two pitches. It’s an above-average offering that generates swings and misses and induces weak contact due to its arm-side fading action.
Prager is a competitive pitcher with an impressive pitch mix who attacks the strike zone. Scouts rave about his potential and envision him as a starting pitcher in pro ball.
“It all comes back to remaining neutral,” Prager said. “You can talk about competing and limiting the free passes and being in the zone, but all that is possible because I’m never getting too high or low. I’m just the same guy every day, every pitch, every inning.”
This spring, Prager has displayed a premium pitch mix with outstanding control and command. It’s a notable accomplishment for Prager after he missed the last year rehabbing from Tommy John.
As Prager continues to distance himself from the surgery, he hopes to see continued growth with his pitches, especially his fastball velocity.
“When I look down the road to that 24-month picture, I want to continue to get stronger and add velocity to my fastball,” Prager said. “There is room in there for added velo, and I don’t think it’s an if but a when I will add velocity. I just want to make the slider harder and continue to develop the changeup. It has become really good over the last few months, but I still think there is room for growth.”
This season, Prager has thrived and taken a step forward in his development. After posting a 5.16 ERA in 59 1/3 innings as a freshman in 2022, Prager has recorded a 2.51 ERA with 106 strikeouts and 15 walks allowed in 79 innings as a redshirt sophomore this spring.
The lefty has been vital to Texas A&M’s success. The Aggies are 43-13 this season, with all of their losses coming against SEC opponents. They earned the No. 3 overall national seed for the NCAA Tournament, the highest in program history.
The Aggies are seeking their first College World Series appearance since 2022 and their first national title in program history.
“It’s been awesome to be around these guys,” Prager said. “It’s some of the most fun I’ve had being around a team in my entire life. In a team that is this talented and that has done so much, it would be really easy for us to put expectations on ourselves. But no, it is super relaxed and laid back. We just want to do this all together, and I think that is what has led to our success so far and will hopefully lead to our success in the next couple of weeks.”
Read more in-depth stories on top 2024 MLB draft prospects at Baseball Prospect Journal.
Dan Zielinski III has covered the MLB draft for nine years. He has interviewed 518 of the top draft prospects in that period, including four No. 1 overall picks. Multiple publications, including Baseball America, USA Today, MLB.com, The Arizona Republic and The Dallas Morning News, have quoted his work, while he has appeared on radio stations as a “MLB draft expert.” Follow him on Twitter @DanZielinski3.
