Jacob Dudan’s career path had seemed to be set for him since he was a freshman. Utilized as the relief ace for a talented NC State team that made it to Omaha that year, it was a role that seemed to fit Dudan like a glove. He was able to lean on his big arm, showcase a fastball up to 99 mph and pair it with a wipeout upper-80s slider.
The role fit Dudan in large part due to his limitations, too. Dudan’s stuff was dynamic in relief where he was able to average 96 mph on his fastball. Dudan had a long arm action that would leave his arm out of sync with the body, leading him to walk an elevated amount of batters. He showed no semblance of a third offering. That fastball relied on its velocity because he owned a fairly generic release profile and his fastball …