When college pitching is the topic, reasonable expectations become an important topic rather early on. Sometimes, trying to be helpful, fans are interested in adding “an ace”. However, “an ace” is rarely available for very long. Usually, what is available are “plenty of pitchers from coast to coast”. None are guaranteed to be an ace.
Realistically, three dimensions are in play. None are what I would consider “linear”. For instance, at some point, running through the video-gathering process, you might see a particularly jaw-dropping breaking ball from a college pitcher. You nod, “If that’s what he’ll bring every day, I’m interested.