Estrada the Engineer

Friday, 3/14: A D3 arm up to 97 + Rider v Quinnipiac Live Look

When a source reached out about a pitcher from MIT touching 98 mph, my first reaction was “You mean THAT MIT?” Sure enough, the MIT Engineers (DIII) have a legitimate draft arm who is majoring in. . . aerospace engineering. And that engineer, err, I mean pitcher is draft-eligible sophomore RHP Mason Estrada. Apparently, Estrada made waves in his first college start against Chapman University in California on 3/7. Now closer to home, Estrada took the mound against Montclair State on Saturday with 10+ scouts in attendance.

Background, Body, Mechanics

Estrada, a Louisiana native, didn’t pitch as a freshman in 2024 but showed promise in high school, topping out at 96 MPH with his heater. Estrada dealt with some injuries as a freshman and didn’t make an appearance in 2024. His start on the 14th was just his second appearance of his college career.

For the 2025 draft class, there is an inordinate amount of college righties with a similar physical profile. I like to call it the 6’0 college righty bucket which includes pitchers like Michael Salina, Eddie Smink, and Sean Episcope to name a few. We can add Mason Estrada to that group of arms. Estrada is listed at 6’0-200 with a stocky build. Estrada’s body reminded me of Ryan Birchard who was a 2023 5th round pick by the Brewers out of Niagara CC. I saw Birchard in the Draft League with the Trenton Thunder.

Throwing from a low ¾ arm slot, Estrada features electric arm speed and a tight arm action. The extension in his delivery (up to 6.5 ft.) was impressive for his size, which helps his stuff play up. However, there were some inconsistencies when maintaining a consistent release point. This was most evident when throwing his fastball which led to the pitch running in towards the head of right handed bats. The plant and landing towards the end of his delivery also varied at times. There’s rawness to the delivery which is to be expected given his level of experience, but there are plenty of positive traits to mold.

Pitch Breakdown

• Fastball: Estrada sat in the 94-97 MPH range in the first inning. He was mostly 93-95 range for innings two and three before dropping to the 91-92 range by the fourth. I didn’t get a radar gun reading on every pitch but on the 37 fastballs I recorded, Estrada averaged 93.6 MPH. The pitched flashed good arm-side tail that was effective on the edges of the zone. He occasionally showed riding action on the heater, mostly when he was locating towards the top of the zone or above. Overall, it was a lively pitch early, but the pitch lost life as the game progressed and played at diminished level by inning four.

• Slider: While the fastball velocity was highly impressive, the slider was Estrada’s best pitch in this outing. The average velocity for the 19 sliders I tracked was 84.7 mph. The pitch was 84-87 early before settling into the 82-85 range. Estrada was consistently in the 2,600-2,800 RPM range with his slider and is capable of eclipsing that range on occasion. The pitch featured big, sweeping action, a potentially devastating weapon against righty bats. The combination of velocity and horizontal movement is remarkable. It’s a true put away pitch which he used to strike out the side in the first inning. Estrada also displayed some ability to manipulate the pitch, adjusting the shape and velocity effectively depending on the situation. It’s a plus pitch with the potential to be a 70 grade offering at the pro level.

Game Performance

Estrada’s outing started shakily—his first seven pitches were balls—but he settled in and worked effectively out of the stretch. He struck out four batters in his first couple of innings (2 looking; 2 swinging). The majority of batted balls were weak contact on the infield. Estrada’s command, and stuff, started to waver a bit in the third inning which is when Montclair State put some runs on the board. After hitting a batter and walking another, Estrada was hit hard for the first and last time. Left fielder Marcus Johnson (arguably Montclair State’s best hitter) roped a high fastball over the head of MIT’s centerfielder for a two run double. It was a great piece of hitting by Johnson, leveling the barrel on some high heat. That said, I think that ball no is probably a F8 in the box score more times than not. Estrada faced a couple of batters in the fourth inning before ending his day. His final line: 3.1 IP, 1 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 5 K, 1 HBP.

STRIKEOUTS

• Slider, 87 MPH, Whiff

• Slider, 86 MPH, Called

• Slider, 85 MPH, Whiff

• Fastball, 93 MPH, Called

• Fastball, 95 MPH, Whiff

Outlook & Projection

With minimal track record and coming from an elite academic school, scouts are eager to see more of Estrada in the coming weeks. Teams will likely want to see him against higher competition before the draft.

Mason Estrada is a name to watch. Paid subscribers can find Estrada’s full 1st and 2nd innings further down.

Scouts will be eager to see Estrada and will likely be coming to see him the next few weekends. His raw stuff stacks up with other the top college righties in the region, but his control/command remains a question. Teams will probably want to see him face a higher level of competition at some point before the draft. Right now, he profiles as a high-leverage reliever, but his draft stock could shift dramatically—especially if he pitches in summer ball. There is plenty of development potential here, both physically and mechanically. His signability could be a little complicated. He's an eligible sophomore from an elite academic school and area scouts likely have very minimal track record with him since he's from Louisiana. Regardless, scouts are going to be turning him this spring and overall interest should remain high.

-Below you can find open side from Estrada’s outing. Paid Subscribers can check out his full 1st and 2nd innings towards the bottom of the post.

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After catching Mason Estrada’s start, I made the trip to Rider University to see Quinnipiac take on Rider. My primary focus heading in was JR Christian Smith, but it was also a good opportunity to get a look at several key players from both teams.

Quinnipiac Bats

Christian Smith (C/DH, 25 Draft Eligible)

Smith has put together a strong offensive season, building off some intriguing data points from 2024. In ‘24 Smith did fairly well in a few key stat categories: sub 20% chase rate, 75% contact rate, and a 104 90th percentile exit velocity. Splitting time between catcher and designated hitter, he was the DH in this game and showcased his power with his 7th and 8th home runs of the year.

Physically, he’s not overly big, but his frame was better than expected. Given that he’ll still be young for the 2025 draft class (turning 21 after the draft), returning for his senior season could help him build a longer track record and allow scouts to get a better feel for his defensive ability and overall profile. Smith is hitting .431/.544/.792 with eight homers and double the amount of walks (16) than strikeouts (8). You can check out both his homers from this game in the video below.

Alex Irizarry (SS, 25 Draft Eligible)

A former Maryland recruit, Irizarry didn’t play in 2024 but brings a legit up-the-middle skill set to the Bobcats. He’s lean with some physical projection and was one of the toolsier players on the field. Defensively, he showed clean actions and an good internal clock at shortstop. He made quick and clean transfers and showed plenty of carry on his throws across the diamond. Overall, he has some loose and fluid athleticism to his game on both sides of the ball. Irizarry’s bat may be a tick behind his glove but he hit a pull side homer in this game and then collected four hits and a big fly on Saturday. Paid subscribers can check out his open side swing below.

Gabe Wright (CF, 25 Draft Eligible)

Wright is sure to entice observers with his phenomenal athleticism. Wright is an easy plus defender in center field with high-end speed. Wright is in his second year with Quinnipiac after transferring from the juco ranks. While Wright is certainly a special athlete, the offensive production has been subpar to date. We’ll see if he can kick things into gear as conference ball plays out.

Sebastian Mueller (3B, 25 Draft Eligible)

Mueller missed most of the 2024 season but brings a physical corner infield profile with big-time strength-based power. His thick, strong build helps him generate raw pop, and he should be one of the top hitters in the MAAC this year. While he’s likely not a high-level draft prospect, he’s a productive college bat who is currently sporting a .444/.554/.792 batting line with 7 homers.

CJ Willis (OF, 25 Draft Eligible)

A very physical hitter with a strength-based power approach, Willis also showed more athleticism than expected. He’s transitioned from first base to right field and looked capable of handling a corner spot, with enough arm strength to hold down right field. Willis was an NECBL all star last summer, putting up a 1.003 OPS.

Cole Constable (C, 26 Draft Eligible)

A Maryland transfer, Constable is a solid athlete who showed raw power in BP with a swing that featured a lot of moving parts. He has tools to stick behind the plate, but needs reps to refine his receiving and throwing skills. Constable has a .773 OPS with three XBH, seven steals, and a 5BB/8K ratio in 52 PA.

Quinnipiac Pitching Notes

Samuel Wright (RHP, 27 Draft Eligible)

Wright had a strong first inning, showing a 89-91 mph fastball and an advanced feel for a four-pitch mix. His delivery appeared simple and repeatable during his first inning of work. Unfortunately, he appeared to injure himself while warming up for the second inning, cutting his outing short. Still, his ideal build, four pitch mix, and early flashes of command make him a name to track. I imagine Wright will be a weekend rotation staple throughout his Quinnipiac career.

Nick Balcom (RHP, 25 Draft Eligible)

Balcom came in after Wright’s injury and put together a gutsy relief performance, throwing five scoreless innings. He showed a knack for making big pitches in key spots. Balcom was 88-90 (t91) with his fastball and threw some quality changeups in the 79-80 range.

JC Franconere (LHP, 27 Draft Eligible)

A projectable lefty with a longer arm action, Franconere showed good deception but will need to refine his delivery to make it more repeatable. improve his delivery. He sat 85-86 mph with the fastball and mixed in a 74-77 mph slider and a 77 mph changeup. I’ll definitely be tracking Franconere's progression over the next few years. He completed two scoreless innings, striking out two.

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Rider’s Notable Players

Middle Infield Duo: Joe Tiroly & Matt Leahy

I can’t imagine there are many DI teams that start freshman from day one at second base and shortstop. That’s what Rider did last year with 2B Joe Tiroly and SS Matt Leahy. After performing well in their initial taste of college ball, the duo are off to hot starts in 2025. This was my first time seeing the tandem since the MAAC tournament last year. Here is what I saw:

Joe Tiroly (2B, 26 Draft Eligible)

Listed at 6’0-200. Super physical and very strong. Profiles as an offensive-minded second baseman. Not the shiftiest defender, but mobile enough to handle the position. Plays the position with confidence. Good power upside and showed an ability to adjust and use the whole field at the plate. From a statistical standpoint, Tiroly has been one of the best hitters at the D1 level. As of today, Tiroly has a 1.533 OPS with 7 homers, and a 13BB:7K ratio. He’ll be a draft prospect of some stripe for 2026 in the northeast.

Matt Leahy (SS, 26 Draft Eligible)

Leahy is a different type of player than Tiroly. He’s a smaller guy at 5’10-150 with a leaner build, but it looks like he’s added strength since last year. He’s running a .836 OPS with more walks (12) than strikeouts (9). Leahy is a good, little table-setter who likes to take pitches early and work counts. Despite his size, Leahy takes some really hard swings but does a good job keeping things under control. He has some bounce and smoothness to his defensive actions. He does a good job getting the ball out quick which allows his arm to play up. Leahy should be a reliable defensive shortstop at this level, giving coach Lee Lipinski some piece of mind moving forward.

Other Bats to Watch

Kyle Neri (OF, 25 Draft Eligible)

Strong, undersized athlete who flashes above-average speed. Defensively, he’s a left field fit where he’s able to cover a lot of ground. The bat-to-ball ability looked more refined which is supported by the numbers to date as his K rate has dropped from 22% in ‘24 to 14% in ‘25.

Charley Magoulick (1B, 27 Draft Eligible)

First base fit with great size at 6’4-210. It looked like he was seeing the ball well at the plate and he displayed an up-the-middle approach. Projects to add more in-game power moving forward.

Peter Crespo (INF, 27 Draft Eligible)

Opposite of Magoulick with a shorter, thick build at 5’11-185. Was the DH in this game, which is where he’s been slotted for most of the season. Crespo has played one game at shortstop and has experience playing on the left side of the infield. Showed a knack for lifting the ball pull side with power. The swing looked geared more for line drive contact when going up the middle. Crespo has an interesting offensive profile and is off to a strong start in his freshman year: .355/.524/.774 batting line.

Rider Pitching Notes

PJ Craig (RHP, 25 Draft Eligible)

Craig was tabbed as preseason pitcher of the year in the MAAC by D1Baseball. He has good size at 6’4-190 with a pitcher’s frame. On Friday, Craig was mostly 88-91 with his fastball. He showed three secondary offerings including a slurvy slider in the 75-77 range, a low 80s changeup (4th pitch), and what appeared to be a cutter (a new pitch) in the 82-83. One may label the slider a curve and the cutter a slider, but I’ll stick with slider/cutter. The cutter could develop into his best secondary as he showed good command for it with some late movement. Quinnipiac knocked Craig around in this outing and he’s been hit hard in most of his outings this spring. The overall stuff in kind of generic but there should be more than enough here for Craig to perform well in the MAAC conference. You can take a quick look at Craig by following this link HERE.

Kyle Batt (RHP, 27 Draft Eligible)

Batt was impressive in relief, quieting Quinnipiac’s lineup for a few innings. He’s a sturdy 6’0-205 righty with a low ¾ slot. Batt’s fastball sat 87-89 mph, occasionally touching 90 mph with tailing action. His best pitch was a 77-79 mph slider, which he commands well and uses effectively against righties. He also tossed in some low-80s cutter. With solid command and advanced pitchability, Batt should continue receiving more important innings this season. He looks well equipped to handle a weekend starter role for Rider in the years ahead.