Max Rajcic

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked St. Louis Cardinals #12 prospect in 2024
  BA Grade: 45/High
  
  Track Record: Rajcic had a noteworthy high school career as the ace for Southern California powerhouse Orange Lutheran. He made it to campus as the Bruins’ top recruit in the 2020 class. As a freshman, Rajcic served as UCLA’s closer and transitioned to a starter’s role as a draft-eligible sophomore. The Cardinals selected Rajcic in the sixth round of the 2022 draft and signed him for an above-slot $600,000. He debuted with Low-A Palm Beach in 2023 and split his season across both Class A levels and was named the Cardinals’ minor league pitcher of the year.
  
  Scouting Report: Rajcic pitches with a tried and true approach: he gets ahead with his fastball and then attacks with secondaries. Rajcic mixes four pitches in a four-seam fastball, curveball, slider and changeup. His fastball sits 92-94 mph and features a good combination of ride and armside run and he does an excellent job commanding the pitch. This sets up Rajcic’s trio of secondaries, led by his signature low-80s curveball with two-plane break and above-average depth. The curveball is a solid bat-misser, but succeeds due to poor quality of contact against it. Rajcic also shows solid feel for a mid-80s changeup, which is his best bat-misser and drives whiffs in and out of the zone. His 82-84 mph slider has sweeper shape, but less sweep than is typical. Rajcic is an average strike thrower who could push to above-average at peak.
  
  The Future: Rajcic looked like a fringe starting pitching candidate entering affiliated ball, but is trending toward No. 5 starter.
  
  Scouting Grades Fastball: 45 | Curveball: 50 | Slider: 45 | Changeup: 55 | Control: 50
• 
  Ranked St. Louis Cardinals #21 prospect in 2023
  BA Grade/Risk: 45/High
  
  Track Record: Rajcic starred as the ace of national prep power Orange (Calif.) Lutheran High and arrived at UCLA as a top recruit in the 2020 class. He served as the Bruins' closer as a freshman and transitioned to starting in the Cape Cod League. Rajcic took over as UCLA's top starter as a draft-eligible sophomore in 2022 and wore down at the end of the season, but he showed enough for the Cardinals to draft him in the sixth round and sign him for an above-slot $600,000 bonus.
  
  Scouting Report: Rajcic is a stocky, undersized righthander with an above-average breaking ball. With a long track record of success as an amateur, Rajcic has shown an ability to command and sequence his arsenal in such a way that it plays above his raw stuff. Rajcic mixes three pitches in his fastball, curveball and changeup. His fastball sits 90-93 mph with heavy ride but is easy to track due to his very visible release point. His fastball is primarily a setup weapon for his two secondaries. His primary secondary is his low-80s above-average curveball with heavy two-plane break. His changeup is a low-to-mid-80s pitch that shows hellacious armside run. He throws all of his pitches for strikes, showing average command across his arsenal.
  
  The Future: Rajcic will have to make it as a starter because he doesn't have enough power to profile in relief. He projects to be an up-and-down starter who possibly sneaks into a No. 5 starter's role.
  
  Scouting Grades: Fastball: 45. Curveball: 55. Changeup 50. Control: 50.

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #111 prospect in 2022 draft
  School: UCLA Committed/Drafted: Never Drafted
  Age At Draft: 21
  BA Grade: 45/High
  Scouting Grades: Fastball: 40 | Curveball: 55 | Slider: - | Changeup: 50 | Cutter: | Control: 60
  Rajcic became famous as the ace of national prep power Orange (Calif.) Lutheran High and was the top starter on USA Baseball’s 18U National Team that won a silver medal at the 2019 18U World Cup in South Korea. He served as UCLA’s closer as a freshman and pitched well as a starter in the Cape Cod League before taking over as the Bruins’ No. 1 starter this spring. Rajcic is a cerebral, polished righthander whose control and feel for pitching make up for a lack of pure stuff. His fastball sits 90-91 mph, touches 94 and is a hittable pitch when he doesn’t locate it precisely. His fastball mainly serves to set up his above-average, low-80s power curveball with vertical break and solid depth. His low-to-mid-80s changeup is an average offering he’s comfortable throwing to both righties and lefties. None of Rajcic’s offerings stand out in a vacuum, but he fills up the strike zone with plus control and mixes and matches to keep hitters guessing. He limits walks and is efficient with his pitch count to last deep into games. Rajcic is more solid than exciting, but he knows how to pitch and has a long track record of success. He projects to be a useful depth starter or long reliever.
• Ranked #176 prospect in 2020 draft
  Rajcic rose to prominence as the ace of prep power Orange (Calif.) Lutheran High and got the most swings and misses of any pitcher at the 2019 National High School Invitational. He opened his highly anticipated senior season with 22.2 scoreless innings, six hits allowed, 32 strikeouts and one walk before the season shut down. Rajcic has advanced pitching ability and good feel to locate his entire arsenal for strikes. His fastball ranges from 89-93 mph, sitting 90-91, and he flashes both a slider with depth and a developing changeup. None of Rajcic’s pitches projects better than solid-average individually, but they all play up with his advanced pitchability and command. He’s an intense competitor who thrives in the spotlight and doesn’t back down from a challenge. Rajcic is physically filled out at 6-foot, 200 pounds and doesn’t offer much projection, so scouts have questions about his upside. He is committed to UCLA and will be expensive to sign.

• February, 2023 Scouting Report
  BA Grade/Risk: 45/High
  
  Track Record: Rajcic starred as the ace of national prep power Orange (Calif.) Lutheran High and arrived at UCLA as a top recruit in the 2020 class. He served as the Bruins' closer as a freshman and transitioned to starting in the Cape Cod League. Rajcic took over as UCLA's top starter as a draft-eligible sophomore in 2022 and wore down at the end of the season, but he showed enough for the Cardinals to draft him in the sixth round and sign him for an above-slot $600,000 bonus.
  
  Scouting Report: Rajcic is a stocky, undersized righthander with an above-average breaking ball. With a long track record of success as an amateur, Rajcic has shown an ability to command and sequence his arsenal in such a way that it plays above his raw stuff. Rajcic mixes three pitches in his fastball, curveball and changeup. His fastball sits 90-93 mph with heavy ride but is easy to track due to his very visible release point. His fastball is primarily a setup weapon for his two secondaries. His primary secondary is his low-80s above-average curveball with heavy two-plane break. His changeup is a low-to-mid-80s pitch that shows hellacious armside run. He throws all of his pitches for strikes, showing average command across his arsenal.
  
  The Future: Rajcic will have to make it as a starter because he doesn't have enough power to profile in relief. He projects to be an up-and-down starter who possibly sneaks into a No. 5 starter's role.
  
  Scouting Grades: Fastball: 45. Curveball: 55. Changeup 50. Control: 50.
• December, 2022 Scouting Report
  BA Grade/Risk: 45/High
  
  Track Record: Rajcic starred as the ace of national prep power Orange (Calif.) Lutheran High and arrived at UCLA as a top recruit in the 2020 class. He served as the Bruins' closer as a freshman and transitioned to starting in the Cape Cod League. Rajcic took over as UCLA's top starter as a draft-eligible sophomore in 2022 and wore down at the end of the season, but he showed enough for the Cardinals to draft him in the sixth round and sign him for an above-slot $600,000 bonus.
  
  Scouting Report: Rajcic is a stocky, undersized righthander with an above-average breaking ball. With a long track record of success as an amateur, Rajcic has shown an ability to command and sequence his arsenal in such a way that it plays above his raw stuff. Rajcic mixes three pitches in his fastball, curveball and changeup. His fastball sits 90-93 mph with heavy ride but is easy to track due to his very visible release point. His fastball is primarily a setup weapon for his two secondaries. His primary secondary is his low-80s above-average curveball with heavy two-plane break. His changeup is a low-to-mid-80s pitch that shows hellacious armside run. He throws all of his pitches for strikes, showing average command across his arsenal.
  
  The Future: Rajcic will have to make it as a starter because he doesn't have enough power to profile in relief. He projects to be an up-and-down starter who possibly sneaks into a No. 5 starter's role.
  
  Scouting Grades: Fastball: 45. Curveball: 55. Changeup 50. Control: 50.
• April, 2022 Scouting Report
  BA Grade: 45/High
  
  August Update: Rajcic became famous as the ace of national prep power Orange (Calif.) Lutheran High and was the top starter on USA Baseball&#39s 18U National Team that won a silver medal at the 2019 18U World Cup in South Korea. He served as UCLA&#39s closer as a freshman and pitched well as a starter in the Cape Cod League before taking over as the Bruins&#39 No. 1 starter this spring. Rajcic is a cerebral, polished righthander whose control and feel for pitching make up for a lack of pure stuff. His fastball sits 90-91 mph, touches 94 and is a hittable pitch when he doesn&#39t locate it precisely. His fastball mainly serves to set up his above-average, low-80s power curveball with vertical break and solid depth. His low-to-mid-80s changeup is an average offering he&#39s comfortable throwing to both righties and lefties. None of Rajcic&#39s offerings stand out in a vacuum, but he fills up the strike zone with plus control and mixes and matches to keep hitters guessing. He limits walks and is efficient with his pitch count to last deep into games. Rajcic is more solid than exciting, but he knows how to pitch and has a long track record of success. He projects to be a useful depth starter or long reliever.