- Full name James Arnold
- Born 03/21/2004 in Tampa, FL
- Profile Ht.: 6'1" / Wt.: 165 / Bats: L / Throws: L
- School Jesuit
Top Rankings
Draft Prospects
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School: Florida State Drafted/Committed: Never Drafted
Age At Draft: 21.3
BA Grade: 60/High
Arnold was one of college baseball’s most impressive pitchers as a sophomore in 2024. He posted a 2.98 ERA over 18 starts and finished third in the country with 159 strikeouts—behind 2024 top-five overall picks Chase Burns and Hagen Smith. He entered his 2025 draft year as the presumptive top college arm in the class and wasn’t quite as dominant, but still rock solid with an identical 2.98 ERA over 15 starts and 84.2 innings with a 33.9% strikeout rate and 7.7% walk rate. At 6-foot-1, 190 pounds, Arnold has a smooth delivery that features a deep, plunging arm action in back before he cascades down the mound and throws from an extremely low three-quarters slot. His low release height creates a flat approach angle and adds deception that amplifies his entire pitch mix. Arnold’s fastball sits 92-95 mph and will touch 97-98. The pitch has tremendous armside running life that makes it both a bat-misser and a groundball-inducer at its best, though his fastball command and production backed up slightly in 2025. Arnold’s no-doubt plus slider is a mid-80s sweeper with the depth and bite to be a knockout secondary against lefties and righties. Arnold mainly pitches off his fastball and slider, but he upped the usage of his mid-80s changeup, and the pitch has the movement profile to become at least above-average. He still needs to hone his changeup command. Arnold is a solid strike-thrower and a high-probability starter with midrotation upside. He’s solidly in the mix to be the first college arm selected and shouldn’t fall outside of the first 10 picks.
Scouting Grades: Fastball: 60. Slider: 60. Changeup: 55. Control: 55. -
School: Florida State Committed/Drafted: Never Drafted
Age At Draft: 21.3
BA Grade/Risk: 55/High
Outside of Chase Burns, Arnold was the best pitcher in the ACC during 2024. He pitched his way to a 2.98 ERA with a whopping 159 strikeouts to just 26 walks across 105.2 innings. Arnold attacks from a low three-quarters slot and his stuff has taken a major step forward. His fastball has been up to 97 mph with upwards of 21 inches of run, and it explodes from a lower release height. In addition to his thunderous heater, Arnold’s slider is a bonafide plus pitch with plenty of sweep and sharpness that is a knockout pitch vs. both lefties and righties. His fastball and slider are both ahead of his changeup currently, but it’s easy to see that becoming a third solid piece of his arsenal to help him against higher quality righthanded bats. With Arnold’s above-average command and power stuff from the left side, he is among the favorites to be the first arm selected.
Scouting Grades Fastball: 60 | Slider: 60 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 55
