The 2019 MLB Draft in June is fast approaching, the draft order for teams is in place, and MLB Pipeline revealed its Top 100 Draft Prospects earlier in the year. There’s not a moment to lose to begin speculating on whom the Houston Astros (who draft at the #32 position) might select. One possibility might be the 6’5″, 260-pound Duke junior Graeme Stinson.

He may never project as a starter, but Duke University southpaw Graeme Stinson may still find long-term success out of the bullpen.

While he ranks at the #65 position on the Pipeline list, 247Sports has Stinson as a possible first-round Houston pick, asserting that “the Astros often take top-level college performers or college performers who have some warts or concerns which they aren’t bothered by as much.

“[JB] Bukauskas’s [six-foot] height and [Seth] Beer’s bat speed and performance with wood bats are recent examples. Stinson is the type of college player with some warts that the Astros could target here. He struggled to maintain velocity as a starter, but Duke pitchers have had issues heading into their draft years the past few years. There might be something the Astros could fix and, if not, then you end up with a lefty back end arm, which also has great value.”

Blue Devil For Life

Stinson is one of four brothers, born in Atlanta, Georgia, August 6, 1997. One of those brothers, the younger Cooper, is a 6’6″ freshman right-handed pitcher joining Graeme at Duke this year.

Graeme attended Norcross High School in the northern part of the Peach State. Incredibly, Norcross shares the same athletics nickname, Blue Devils, as does Stinson’s eventual university choice, Duke.

Honor Roll student and Eagle Scout as a teen, Stinson was a four-year letter winner at Norcross. He logged a 7-0 record in nine appearances with a 1.88 ERA as a senior in 2016, striking out 47 in 44.2 IP. He even pitched at the 2015 Under Armour All-America Game at Chicago’s Wrigley Field.

After his 2017 freshman season at Duke, Stinson threw to wood bats in the summer with the Orleans Firebirds of the Cape Cod League.

In 62 innings, he posted a 5-1 record a 1.89 ERA, and whiffed 98 batters in his 2018 sophomore season at Duke, averaging a team-best 14.3 strikeouts per nine innings. He allowed only 19 walks, good for a 5.16 strikeout-to-walk ratio, mostly out of the bullpen, starting only four of his 23 appearances.

Most recently, Stinson received five 2019 preseason All-America nods, including two first-team honors from D1Baseball and Baseball America. He was one of only three unanimous selections to the Baseball America Preseason All-America First Team. Stinson, who pitches from a three-quarter arm slot, started the game in Duke’s combined no-hitter over Penn State March 1, tossing five shutout innings to earn his second win of the season.

Not So Fast…….

Muddying Stinson’s journey to the draft process, though, is a hamstring injury which delayed the start of his 2019 season for the first few weeks, as well as another troubling development.

At the same time, an apparent arm issue developed in mid-March. “After routinely lighting up the radar gun to the tune of the mid-90s in his relief role last season,” reports the Duke Chronicle on April 16, “the southpaw was sitting in just the mid-80s against the [Louisville] Cardinals, March 15.

“‘We just don’t know yet,’ Duke head coach Chris Pollard said regarding the root of Stinson’s arm troubles. ‘We just don’t know when he’s gonna be back, and we don’t have a plan yet. Still waiting on some results of some testing and some meetings with the docs to determine a timeline for his return.'”

No doubt MLB teams will be on top of Stinson’s well-being before pulling the trigger at any draft slot.

The Chronicle lays out the bleak results if Graeme is unable to reflect a healthy status to a point that will convince MLB GMs: “If Stinson cannot prove that his arm is again at full strength by the end of the season, his draft stock will fall significantly. Regarded as a surefire top selection entering the season, Stinson could slide out of the first round entirely should the issue persist.”

When healthy, Stinson is the owner of what many say is the best slider in the draft, with mid-80s velocity and a nasty break.

Scouting grades: Fastball: 60 | Slider: 65 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 50 | Overall: 50