The right-hander was Colorado’s third round pick in 2023
24. Jack Mahoney (173 points, 22 ballots)
Mahoney is a prospect that doesn’t necessarily excite me, but the pedigree, role, polish, and results are so solid that he needed to make my list (he was 23rd as a 40 FV player for me). He was Colorado’s third rounder in 2023 out of South Carolina, going 77th overall and signing for a slightly below slot bonus of $925k. The 23-year-old 6’3” righty dabbled with hitting in college (he was a shortstop in high school as well) but was mostly a pitcher.
The Illinois native pitched very well as a freshman in 2021 (1.62 ERA in 33 1⁄3 IP) but needed Tommy John surgery mid-way through that campaign and also missed all of 2022 on the mound — though he did swat two homers in 19 PA as a DH. Back on the mound in 2023, Mahoney was worse at run prevention (4.16 ERA in a tough SEC) but his stuff came back well post-surgery and he threw 84 1⁄3 innings across 17 starts with a 9.0 K/9 rate and 3.1 BB/9 rate.
After signing with the Rockies, Mahoney made two appearances with Colorado’s complex team, allowing two runs on three hits with a walk and three strikeouts in two innings. Mahoney was assigned to Low-A Fresno to start 2024, where he was a league-average age. He made 17 starts with Fresno, throwing 94 2⁄3 innings with a 3.52 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 8.7 K/9 rate, and 2.1 BB/9 rate.
The Rockies bumped Mahoney up to High-A Spokane in August, where he was 1.1 years younger than league average. Considering his age, performance, and draft pedigree, I would have promoted him even sooner. He made six appearances (five starts) with Spokane, adding 25 1⁄3 innings with a 5.33 ERA, 1.42 WHIP, 8.5 K/9 rate, and 2.5 BB/9 rate. It’s very nice to see that, two years after his Tommy John surgery, Mahoney was able to soak up 120 innings in 2024.
Here’s some video of Mahoney in Low-A Fresno in June 2024, highlighting a complete game shutout (he threw just 95 pitches):
Eric Longenhagen of Fangraphs gave Mahoney a 40 FV grade, slotting him 26th in the system earlier this month, with a 55 future command grade highlighting the package:
Mahoney played both ways a little bit as an underclassman at SC. He pitched out of the bullpen during most of his freshman year, then missed 2022 recovering from Tommy John, though he was still able to hit some that year. He held 92-94 and touched 96-97 across 17 starts as a junior, and Mahoney was thrown right into the fire from an innings standpoint in 2024, as he worked 120 frames and ended his season in Spokane. It was a very positive campaign for Mahoney even though the Cal League was probably beneath his skill level — he held average velocity all year and walked just 30 guys. His fastball tails, he commands a short, mid-80s slider sitting 84-86 mph, and he has arm-side changeup feel. Mahoney’s feel for location is advanced considering his lack of college reps and he has a shot to develop three average pitches. There’s a backend starter projection here, with a non-zero chance he’s scratching the surface of more.
Mahoney ranked 120th overall in MLB.com’s 2023 draft rankings and is now 21st overall in their system rank as a 40 FV player:
A 6-foot-3 right-hander, Mahoney saw his stuff bounce back pretty well upon his return. It starts with a fastball that tops out at 97 mph and sits in the 92-95 range with late natural sink to it. His mid-80s slider can be inconsistent, but at its best, it has horizontal and vertical break. He throws his changeup with the same velocity, and when it’s on, it features good fade. He has the ability to get outs early in counts on the ground, as well as strike guys out.
Mahoney is a good athlete who quarterbacked his high school football team and even hit a couple of home runs in 2022 for South Carolina while he was rehabbing his elbow. He has a feel of what he wants to do on the mound, though he’ll need to keep refining his command and control of his repertoire. It’s a pretty good rotation piece starter kit, with perhaps a leap forward to come another year removed from the elbow surgery.
Keith Law of the Athletic ranked Mahoney 14th in the system in February 2024:
Mahoney returned last spring for South Carolina after 2021 Tommy John surgery to show a 92-94 mph fastball with some two-seam life, a plus changeup, and a maybe-45 slider, getting some groundballs from the two-seamer but more hard contact than you’d like. He does look like he can start and has average control with 45-ish command, with a good enough delivery to stay in the role if he can handle the innings. It’ll probably come down to whether he can minimize that hard contact.
Mahoney’s athleticism, draft pedigree, command, and starter projection drive the profile for me — though as mentioned above the overall package might not be as exciting as other pitchers in the system. I’m guessing Mahoney will return to Spokane to start 2025, with a mid-season move to Double-A Hartford very possible.