The White Sox are adding to their organizational pitching depth.
According to the LSU Athletics Department, right-handed pitcher Bryce Collins has signed a free-agent deal with the club. The minor-league contract has not yet been made official by the Sox, so it’s unclear which affiliate Collins will end up with to start his 2024 campaign.
Collins, 23, was originally selected by the Minnesota Twins in the 39th round of the 2018 MLB Draft as a high school senior. The right-hander remained in college and spent the 2019 season at the University of Arizona before suffering an arm injury that caused him to miss the following two seasons. He successfully resumed his pitching career at LSU in 2022 after recovering from the injury and graduated this past spring.
In 36 career appearances at LSU, two of which were starts, Collins posted a 5-2 record in 49.0 innings with 56 strikeouts and a .214 opponent batting average. His 2023 was rather forgettable with a 9.18 ERA (17 ER/16.2 IP) over 16 appearances for the Tigers. For his entire college career at both schools, Collins owned a 5-4 record across 71.1 innings (44 appearances, six starts) along with a 5.43 ERA, 72 strikeouts, 51 walks, and a .227 opponent batting average.
According to the above video, Collins possesses a fastball that sits between 93-95 mph (2100-2200 RPM), a 74-76 mph curveball (2600-2700 RPM), and an 84-85 mph changeup (1600 RPM). Additional scouting reports were not available.
Following the 2023 season, Collins announced that he would not return to LSU and would explore other options following his graduation. Though he didn’t get selected in this past year’s MLB Draft, Collins will now have the opportunity to officially begin his professional career in the White Sox organization.
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Featured Photo: LSU Athletics
