School: University of Arkansas; Class: Junior
Position: RHP; B/T: R/R
Height: 6-1; Weight: 180
Previously Drafted: N/A
High School: Benton High School
| FB | CB | CH | Command | Overall |
| 60 | 60 | 50 | 50 | 45 |
Background: Benton High School boasts one notable big league alum: 2008 Cy Young Award winner and four-time All-Star Cliff Lee. The Marlins, back when they were known as the Florida Marlins, drafted the 6-foot-3, 205-pound lefty in the eighth round all the way back in 1997. Lee, instead, attended the University of Arkansas by way of Meridian Community College. And prior to 2022, he was the highest drafted former Panther. But Peyton Pallette is about to change that – despite a massive red flag.
Recognized by Perfect Game as the second best right-hander in the state of Arkansas, Pallette, like Lee, would attend the land of the Razorbacks. The 6-foot-1, 180-pound right-hander made four brief relief appearances for the SEC Conference school during his freshman campaign before COVID prematurely ended the 2020 season. He would throw 5.2 innings, posting a 3-to-3 strikeout-to-walk ratio while saving one game.
Pallette had a coming out party for head coach Dave Van Horn the following year: making 11 starts and four relief appearances, the hard-throwing hurler struck out 67 and walked 20 in 56.0 innings of work. Unfortunately for the potential first rounder, Pallette underwent Tommy John surgery in late January and missed the entirety of his junior campaign.
Scouting Report: Consider the following:
- Since 2015, only five SEC hurlers averaged between 10 K/9 and 11 K/9 with a walk rate between 3.1 BB/9 and 3.3 BB/9 in a season (min. 50 IP): TJ Sikkema, Carter Holton, Drew McDaniel, Drake Fellows, and – of course – Peyton Pallette.
Prior to the injury, Pallette showcased a standard three-pitch mix: fastball, curveball, and changeup. His heater, a plus offering, sat in the 93-to 95-mph range but looked straight and lacked deception. His curveball, though, is among the best in the class, sitting in the low 80s with tremendous tilt, adding a swing-and-miss offering to his repertoire. According to reports, he’ll mix in an average changeup (though, I didn’t see one on game tape). Pallette looked like a backend arm with the high probability that his fastball / curveball makes his a decent backend relief arm.
Ceiling: 1.0- to 1.5-win player
Risk: Moderate to High
Grade: Third / Fourth Round
