Phil Bickford, the unsigned tenth overall pick in the 2013 draft, has decided to leave Cal State Fullerton. The hard-throwing 19-year-old right-hander was heading into his sophomore year at Cal State Fullerton, but he has opted to leave the school in order to make himself eligible for the 2015 MLB Draft.The 6-foot-4, 200-pound right-hander had an impressive showing this past season at Cal State Fullerton. In 20 appearances (ten starts) for Cal State Fullerton in 2014, he went 6-3 with a 2.13 ERA in 76 innings pitched. He struck out 74 batters while surrendering 13 walks this past season as well. Bickford also earned Perfect Game Freshman All-American honors earlier this year.
Bickford is strongly considering signing with an independent baseball team to begin his 2015 season, however going the route of pitching for a junior college is also a possibility for him. Considering that one of the possibilities is Cypress JC (California), where Bickford could re-unite with head coach Scott Pickler, it wouldn't be a total surprise if he decides to attend a junior college. Bickford played for Pickler’s Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox in the Cape Cod League this past summer, and posted a 2.25 ERA in 20 innings of work while striking out 33 batters and walking just five.
Considering the Bickford was a top ten draft pick out of high school in 2013, it's no surprise that he is a strong candidate to be the first pitcher taken in next year's MLB Draft. His fastball sat in the 93-95 mph range when he pitched out of the Yarmouth-Dennis bullpen this past summer, and his slider has gained more power over the past year as well. He still needs to refine his secondary pitches and prove that he can handle being a starting pitcher, because his stuff was remarkably better when he worked as a reliever this past summer than it was when he was a starter this past spring. It is believed that some organizations may still be skeptical in relation to the breakdown of negotiations between Bickford and the Blue Jays in 2013. Bickford may not be the clear-cut favorite to be the first pitcher taken in the 2015 MLB Draft, but he certainly has the credentials to be a strong consideration.