Singer didn’t appear in an official game after signing as the 18th overall pick in last year’s draft, resting through the summer after a heavy college workload. He pitched during instructs this fall, but his first start with High-A Wilmington was also technically his professional debut. Singer struck out four over 5.1 innings, allowing two earned runs on three hits and a walk.

He repeats an abbreviated windup very well, extending down the mound and able to spot his fastball low in the zone. The heater sits in the low-90s, touching 94 mph this look, with above-average run that’s aided by a three-quarters release point. Both Singer’s off-speed pitches—a slider in the low-80s and change at 83-to-85 mph—are made more effective by his ability to land them for strikes. Neither is a bat-misser, but he knows how to use his stuff and has pitches to combat both righties and lefties.

Singer draws mixed reviews from evaluators. His supporters see an extremely polished, close-to-ready potential mid-rotation starter with a long track record of winning. Skeptics point to a style of pitching well-suited for the college game and don’t see a true plus pitch. We took a something of a middle-ground stance at 2080 Baseball—though even within our group, there are differing opinions of Singer’s future profile—placing him 97th on the recent Pre-Season Top 125 as a high-floor prospect with mid-rotation upside.