Every single year since he's been in college, Ruger Riojas has gotten better. From his freshman year at UTSA, he showed promise. He was a lean, projectable, athletic arm who threw strikes with a good fastball. But despite the promise, Riojas averaged just north of 90 mph on his heater. He was a two-pitch arm featuring a fastball and slider. He's blossomed in so many ways since.
As a draft-eligible sophomore in 2024, that velocity ticked up to 91.6 mph. That year, instead of going in the draft, Riojas transferred to the University of Texas. When Texas got their hands on him, his steady low-80s slider morphed into a mid-80s cutter, and he added a mid-80s changeup and an upper-70s sweeper. In 2025, his junior season and the second time he was draft-eligible, Riojas ticked up once more, averaging 93.3 mph on his fastball.
The optics of the 2025 season, …