Scouting Report

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Scouting grades: Fastball: 55 | Curveball: 60 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 40 | Control: 50 | Overall: 45

Presbyterian hasn't had a big leaguer since World War II hero Lou Brissie, and it hasn't had a player drafted since the Diamondbacks popped Bud Jeter in the 25th round in 2023. After posting a 8.44 ERA in his first two college seasons and missing most of 2023 with elbow and shoulder issues, Eagen suddenly has emerged as the Blue Hose's best Draft prospect ever and a potential third-rounder. The Big South Conference Pitcher of the Year, he was very efficient with his fastball/curveball combo while setting a school record with 122 strikeouts in 77 2/3 innings.

Eagen's heater has jumped about 5 mph this spring, operating at 93-94 mph and touching 96 with carry and armside run coming out of a high arm slot. He's throwing his downer curveball harder as well, turning it into a plus low-80s offering, and he also can break out a mid-80s slider with similar shape. He barely uses his changeup in games, and it's too firm at 85-87 mph.

Eagen has room to add more strength to his 6-foot-4 frame, so his stuff should continue to improve. His delivery doesn't feature excessive effort, and he repeats it well and pounds the strike zone. While he'll need to refine his changeup to succeed as a starter against better competition, his quality curveball gives him a good fallback plan as a reliever.

Scouting grades: Fastball: 55 | Curveball: 60 | Slider: 55 | Splitter: 45 | Control: 45 | Overall: 45

Eagen really struggled in his first two years at Presbyterian and dealt with elbow and shoulder issues in his sophomore year in 2023. He found regained health and success that summer in the Appalachian League and returned to the Blue Hose to win the 2024 Big South Pitcher of the Year with a school record 122 strikeouts in 77 2/3 innings. He became the first Presbyterian player drafted in 11 years when the D-backs selected him in the third round in ’24, and he added to his award closet as the 2025 Northwest League Pitcher of the Year after posting a 2.49 ERA with 132 strikeouts in 97 2/3 innings. After adding four Double-A starts, Eagen led all Arizona farmhands with 153 total K’s.

Solidly built at 6-foot-4, Eagen added velocity late in his collegiate career and continued to run his four-seam fastball into the mid 90s during his first full pro season. His high arm slot helps him generate really good carry out of the hand with induced vertical break up to 20 inches. His 81-83 mph curveball complements that nicely with its sharp downward action that makes it effective against batters from both sides, and a mid-80s gyro slider can be equally good as a weapon versus righties. Eagen has folded in an 85-88 mph splitter too, and it shows flashes of being a future average MLB offering.

Eagen doesn’t have the most effortful delivery with that high release, but he can finish with a flourish moving toward the first-base side. He relies on batters biting on the breaking stuff moving out of the zone, and when more disciplined hitters lay off those, he could settle into slightly below-average control if trends continue. He would still have enough of a mix to work as a backend starter.

Scouting grades: Fastball: 55 | Curveball: 60 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 40 | Control: 50 | Overall: 45

Presbyterian last had a Major Leaguer in World War II hero Lou Brissie, who retired in 1953, but Eagen has a great shot at being the next. The right-hander struggled in his first two seasons with the Blue Hose and missed most of 2023 with elbow and shoulder concerns before making up for the lost time in the Appalachian League. He was rejuvenated upon his 2024 return, winning Big South Pitcher of the Year honors while setting a school record with 122 strikeouts in 77 2/3 innings. The D-backs took him in the third round and signed him for $650,000, ending an 11-year drought for Presbyterian Draft picks.

The 6-foot-4 hurler's fastball velocity jumped roughly 5 mph in his final season on campus. It sat 93-94 mph and touched 96 with good carry out of his high arm slot. He played off it well with an 80-82 mph downer curveball that contrasted nicely with the high heat and sported a 53 percent whiff rate in his junior year. His mid-80s slider was a distinct third option (and rarely used against lefties) but got plenty of swing-and-miss. He didn’t use much of a changeup in school and will focus on developing one as a pro.

Eagen’s velocity trajectory proved promising, especially since he didn’t add effort to his delivery to get there. Bolstering the mix with an armside offspeed pitch could be key to his starting chances in pro ball, even if he continues to pound the strike zone, but the fastball-curveball combo would at least get him MLB looks as a reliever if its quality is maintained.

Scouting grades: Fastball: 55 | Curveball: 60 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 40 | Control: 50 | Overall: 45

Presbyterian hasn't had a big leaguer since World War II hero Lou Brissie, and it hasn't had a player drafted since the Diamondbacks popped Bud Jeter in the 25th round in 2013. After posting a 8.44 ERA in his first two college seasons and missing most of 2023 with elbow and shoulder issues, Eagen suddenly emerged as the Blue Hose's best Draft prospect ever. The Big South Conference Pitcher of the Year, he was very efficient with his fastball/curveball combo while setting a school record with 122 strikeouts in 77 2/3 innings, and the D-backs selected him in the third round and signed him for $650,000.

Eagen's heater jumped about 5 mph this spring, operating at 93-94 mph and touching 96 with carry and armside run coming out of a high arm slot. He threw his downer curveball harder as well, turning it into a plus low-80s offering, and he also can break out a mid-80s slider with similar shape. He barely uses his changeup in games, and it's too firm at 85-87 mph.

Eagen has room to add more strength to his 6-foot-4 frame, so his stuff should continue to improve. His delivery doesn't feature excessive effort, and he repeats it well and pounds the strike zone. While he'll need to refine his changeup to succeed as a starter against better competition, his quality curveball gives him a good fallback plan as a reliever.

Awards

Baseball America High Class A All-Star

Year	Team
2025

NWL Post-Season All-Star

Year	Team
2025

NWL Pitcher of the Year

Year	Team
2025

NWL Pitcher of the Week

Week	Team
08/17/2025
08/10/2025
07/13/2025

NWL Pitcher of the Month

Month	Team
07/2025
05/2025

Transactions

Team	Date	Transaction
	03/05/2026	RHP Daniel Eagen assigned to Arizona D-backs Prospects.
	01/30/2026	Arizona Diamondbacks invited non-roster RHP Daniel Eagen to spring training.
	08/19/2025	RHP Daniel Eagen assigned to Amarillo Sod Poodles from Hillsboro Hops.
	05/06/2025	RHP Daniel Eagen assigned to Hillsboro Hops from ACL D-backs.
	04/29/2025	RHP Daniel Eagen assigned to ACL D-backs from Hillsboro Hops.
	04/29/2025	ACL D-backs activated RHP Daniel Eagen.
	04/03/2025	RHP Daniel Eagen assigned to Hillsboro Hops from ACL D-backs.
	03/06/2025	activated RHP Daniel Eagen.
	08/05/2024	RHP Daniel Eagen assigned to ACL D-backs.
	07/22/2024	Arizona Diamondbacks signed RHP Daniel Eagen.
	06/16/2024	College Workout activated RHP Daniel Eagen.
	05/05/2023	RHP Daniel Eagen assigned to Greeneville Flyboys.