It was only a quick look at Gunnar Hoglund (2018, Hudson, Fla.) but the long and projectable 6-foot-4 righthander made a lasting impression despite throwing to less than a handful of batters in his relief outing. With a long and loose arm action coming through Hoglund is able to create incredibly easy velocity to the point that it looks like he’s playing catch in the upper-70s when in reality the radar gun read anywhere in the 86-89 mph range, peaking at 90. Hoglund uses his long levers to his advantage on the mound as he’s able to get on top of the ball and create hard running life to his fastball. And along with the velocity and life he showed the ability to harness the life and would bring it back over the outer black to righthanded hitters. The late life of his fastball was enough to stay off barrels and induce weak ground ball contact, but to give hitters a different look Hoglund flashed a curveball in the 73-75 mph range and showed a solid changeup as well. The changeup showed flashes of becoming an above average offering as he maintained the same loose and whippy arm action generating late dive in the mid- to upper-70s.
