18 days till FSU baseball: Hunter Perdue to rehab through the 2020 season, could be key contributor in 2021

Hunter Perdue was one of the top arms in the nation coming out of high school, but decided to go the JUCO route. After being ranked the number one RHP in Virginia in the 2017 class, Perdue spent his first two seasons of college at the State College of Florida, where he became one of the top JUCO arms in the nation. The RHP posted a 3.97 ERA in 14 starts as a freshman and was ranked 26th best JUCO player in the nation heading into the 2019 season. After posting a 2.38 ERA in seven starts, Perdue came down with an injury that shut down his season. Perdue ended up having Tommy John surgery on July 27th and will miss the 2020 season at FSU. Despite the injury and the fact we won’t see him in the 2020 season, there’s still a lot to be looking forward to when he does step foot on the mound in Tallahassee.

Perdue is a projectable pitcher with space to add on muscle and velocity in his time through rehab. The righty stands 6’3 and weighs 208 pounds. If it wasn’t for his injury, Perdue would’ve likely been taken within the first five rounds of the 2019 MLB draft. The Virginia-native is quite athletic and shows that with a high-leg quick and quick arm actions through his delivery.

The righty also possesses a strong three-pitch mix and the ability to throw all three at a consistent rate. Perdue’s fastball comes in at the 92-94 MPH range and will top out at 95 with some sinking action to it. He possesses a sharp breaking ball that can be hard on lefties and righties. The curve has 11-5 action on it and comes in at the 78-80 MPH range. He also can drop in an effective changeup against left-handed batters.

The JUCO-transfer will have a medical redshirt for the season and be a redshirt-junior in 2021. FSU could potentially lose all three of their 2020 weekend starters to the 2020 draft and will probably lose at least two. Perdue is currently aiming to be 100% by the start of fall ball in 2020 and give himself the ability to start in 2021. If all goes well, he will be a front-line weekend starter for the Seminoles in 2021. The stuff is really impressive and will play in the ACC. Just keep his name in the back of your head for the 2021 season.

2021 FSU commit Edwin Arroyo was featured by Perfect Game on Monday afternoon. The SS/SHP (switch-handed pitcher, yes you read that right) is currently ranked 112th overall and second in Puerto Rico in the class.

2022 commit Jamie Arnold and his story was detailed by Baseball University here. The Tampa-native is currently rated the fourth best LHP in the state for 2022.

CJ Van Eyk received more preseason honors on Monday as Baseball America released their preseason All-Americans. Van Eyk received second-team honors from the MLB scouting departments.

D1 Baseball put together their top 150 returning pitchers from the 2019 season based on analytics. Van Eyk is the Seminoles’ only representative at #18.