22 days till FSU baseball: Carson Montgomery oozes talent, power on the mound

Florida State has the most talented freshman in all of college baseball on their roster in 2021. Carson Montgomery was one of the top prospects in the 2020 MLB draft, but turned down some offers to head to his dream school in Tallahassee. On and off the field, there’s a lot to like about the freshman. He brings the most potential a pitcher has ever brought to FSU, being the highest-rated pitching commit to make it to campus.

Montgomery, who also hit and played outfield in high school, is an athlete on the mound. He throws from a lean, projectable frame of 6’2, 205 pounds. The Windermere native has a low-effort delivery and attacks hitters from a ³⁄₄ slot. The arm talent and speed is immense, as the ball explodes out of his hand.

The right-hander’s arsenal is as powerful as they come in college baseball. His fastball sits in the 94-96 MPH range, while topping out at 98. The fastball also has true arm-side run to it, bearing in on right-handed hitters’ hands. He also possesses a two-seamer in the 91-93 MPH range with nearly a foot of movement.

Montgomery’s off-speed has as much potential as the powerful fastball. The breaking ball is a sharp, low to mid-80’s slider. The pitch has good shape and is a true wipeout pitch when he’s on. The next step for the freshman will be more consistency with the pitch. He can sometime lose his release point on the pitch, and lose the pitch to his arm side. When he releases out in front with the slider, it’s a dynamic pitch.

The changeup was Montgomery’s biggest step forward in the fall. It has true fading action to it and can be used as his out pitch against lefties. The high-80’s changeup was his most consistent pitch in the live looks we got in the fall. He also featured a low-90’s cutter in his last outing of the fall that could give him even more room for error.

At some point in his Florida State career, Montgomery will be a frontline starter. He’s likely in a battle for a weekend spot this season, but will fill a large role no matter what. If he doesn’t win that starter’s spot, he could take a path similar as CJ Van Eyk at FSU. Van Eyk was a swiss-army knife out of the pen his freshman year, a Saturday starter year two, and the Friday night ace last season. Montgomery oozes talent, power, potential, athleticism, etc. When he starts to find his consistency with the slider, he’ll embarrass and dominate college hitters at a high level.