Against Arkansas on Saturday, Kowar faced his toughest test of the season thus far and rose to the challenge. The junior surrendered two earned runs over six innings, with six strikeouts and four walks. Despite a couple lapses in control, he showed the makings of a future mid-rotation starter.

At 6’5” and just 185 pounds, Kowar has a wiry-athletic, high-waisted frame, with room to add good weight as he matures. Despite his slight frame, Kowar was able to maintain his velocity throughout the outing, displaying a clean, repeatable delivery. Kowar’s fastball sat 93-to-95 mph, touching 96 on several occasions. The pitch had some arm side run, boring into righties up in the zone. What stood out was how effectively he attacked all quadrants of the zone with the fastball, being able to change the hitters’ eye levels and work both corners with relative ease. Kowar has plus velocity on the fastball, and it plays up with how well he commands it, and the steep downhill plane he creates from his lanky frame. Kowar drew several whiffs with his best secondary offering, a plus changeup sitting 80-to-83 mph, with significant fade and fastball arm speed. He also mixed in a curveball at 74-to-78 mph, with 11-to-5 shape. It was used mostly as a get-me-over pitch early in the count, but lacked consistent snap during this viewing.

Kowar combines raw talent and pitchability, making him one of the most intriguing arms in this draft class. His feel for sequencing, tempo, and competitive-fiery demeanor on the mound make him a potential first round pick this June.