MLB Draft Prospect Profile: Florida State’s Jamie Arnold Has Deception, Wipeout Slider

This is one in a series of breakdowns of  the top prospects available in the 2025 MLB Draft. 

Bats are the biggest need for the Pittsburgh Pirates, but there are several pitchers who will be under consideration when it’s their turn with the sixth pick.

One of those pitchers near the top of draft boards is Florida State’s Jamie Arnold, a 6-foot-1 left-hander from Tampa.

Arnold has been on scouts’ radars for quite a while and even more so after he finished third in the country in strikeouts as a sophomore in 2024 and was named a First-Team All-American by, Perfect Game, ABCA, NCBWA and D1Baseball.

The left-hander continued to impress as a junior with the Seminoles. In 15 starts this past season, Arnold went 8-2 with an identical 2.98 ERA as the year before. In 84.2 innings, he allowed 63 hits, walked 27 and struck out 119 batters.

Arnold operates out of a deceptive arm slot, similar to Chris Sale or Madison Bumgarner. It’s also fairly similar to the way Pirates’ prospect Anthony Solometo throws, but Arnold has more velocity.

Jamie Arnold 2025 College Baseball Highlights! | Florida State Seminoles | @_JamieArnold13 @FSUBaseball pic.twitter.com/5pMmckwgP2

— Baseball is Everything (@ReportOnSports) June 22, 2025

The 21-year-old’s fastball sits in the mid-90s and can creep up towards triple digits. His best pitch, though is a devastating slider that resulted in a 41% whiff rate in 2024. He rounds out his arsenal with a changeup.

The Pirates have only selected a starting pitcher with their top pick once under Ben Cherington, which came in 2023 when they took Paul Skenes with the first-overall pick in 2023. That one worked out pretty well, eh?

It’s no secret that the Pirates’ organization — both at the big-league level and in the minor leagues — is much richer in pitchers than it is in hitters.

But part of that is because the Pirates have found success in developing pitchers and have fell short in doing so with position players.

Because of this, the Pirates should not shy away from taking a pitcher with their first pick. Baseball is about drafting the best available player as opposed to need like in other sports.

If Arnold is there for Pittsburgh to take at No. 6, which is unlikely but not impossible, he will be heavily considered. He has good stuff, a great track record, and the Pirates love having left-handed pitchers at PNC Park.