Nate Savino Stats & Scouting Report — College Baseball, MLB Draft, Prospects

Full name Nathaniel Knowles Savino
Born 01/24/2002 in Sterling, VA
Profile Ht.: 6'3" / Wt.: 210 / Bats: L / Throws: L
School Virginia
Drafted in the 3rd round (82nd overall) by the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2022 (signed for $700,000).

View Draft Report

Coming out of high school, Savino was viewed as a no-doubt first-round talent as one of the better lefthanded pitchers in the 2020 high school class. Instead of playing his senior season, Savino enrolled early at Virginia, where he hasn’t shown quite the same electric stuff, but has been a reliable starter for the Cavaliers. This spring, Savino posted a 3.69 ERA over 15 starts and 78 innings, with the best strikeout rate (23.1%) of his career. A 6-foot-3, 210-pound southpaw who attacks from a lower arm slot and has a sinking, low-90s fastball, Savino is more of a groundball pitcher—he induced ground balls at a 59% rate this spring—who excels by throwing quality strikes and inducing weak contact more than missing bats. At his best (like during his complete game shutout against Duke in March) Savino will show a plus slider in the low 80s with sweeping shape and angle that’s difficult on both lefties and righties. The pitch has come and gone throughout the spring however, and you’re as likely to see a 40-grade breaking ball as a 60. Savino also throws a mid-80s changeup that was a true weapon in high school, but he’s used it less frequently at UVA. Savino’s upside has dipped since his prep days, but he still has back-of-the-rotation potential.

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

BA Grade/Risk: 45/Very High

Track Record: Seen as a possible first-round pick entering his senior year of high school, Savino instead enrolled early at Virginia, where he performed well but did not develop the way many scouts hoped. He did show signs of progress in 2022, particularly with a late-season uptick in stuff, displaying better velocity on both his fastball and slider.

Scouting Report: At his best, Savino can sit around 93-94 mph with his fastball. He gets good sink and arm-side run with the pitch and is at his best when working at the bottom of the zone. As a result, he is more about inducing ground balls than hunting swings and misses. He can get whiffs with his slider, which shows depth and lateral movement and ranges between 80-86 mph. His changeup, perhaps his best secondary pitch in high school, projects to be average despite being used sparingly last year. He is a consistent strike-thrower whose command flashes plus. He throws from a low three-quarters arm slot and from a delivery that looked looser and more athletic last season.

The Future: Savino has all the ingredients to have a future as a back-of-the-rotation starter. If he can maintain the bump in stuff he displayed last season and find it more consistently, perhaps he could be more than that. If not, he could project as an effective reliever. Scouting Grades: Fastball: 50. Slider: 50. Changeup: 50. Control: 55.

Draft Prospects

School: Virginia Committed/Drafted: Never Drafted
Age At Draft: 20.5
BA Grade: 45/High
Scouting Grades: Fastball: 55 | Curveball: - | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 55 | Cutter: | Control: 55
Coming out of high school, Savino was viewed as a no-doubt first-round talent as one of the better lefthanded pitchers in the 2020 high school class. Instead of playing his senior season, Savino enrolled early at Virginia, where he hasn’t shown quite the same electric stuff, but has been a reliable starter for the Cavaliers. This spring, Savino posted a 3.69 ERA over 15 starts and 78 innings, with the best strikeout rate (23.1%) of his career. A 6-foot-3, 210-pound southpaw who attacks from a lower arm slot and has a sinking, low-90s fastball, Savino is more of a groundball pitcher—he induced ground balls at a 59% rate this spring—who excels by throwing quality strikes and inducing weak contact more than missing bats. At his best (like during his complete game shutout against Duke in March) Savino will show a plus slider in the low 80s with sweeping shape and angle that’s difficult on both lefties and righties. The pitch has come and gone throughout the spring however, and you’re as likely to see a 40-grade breaking ball as a 60. Savino also throws a mid-80s changeup that was a true weapon in high school, but he’s used it less frequently at UVA. Savino’s upside has dipped since his prep days, but he still has back-of-the-rotation potential.

Scouting Reports

BA Grade/Risk: 45/Very High

Track Record: Seen as a possible first-round pick entering his senior year of high school, Savino instead enrolled early at Virginia, where he performed well but did not develop the way many scouts hoped. He did show signs of progress in 2022, particularly with a late-season uptick in stuff, displaying better velocity on both his fastball and slider.

Scouting Report: At his best, Savino can sit around 93-94 mph with his fastball. He gets good sink and arm-side run with the pitch and is at his best when working at the bottom of the zone. As a result, he is more about inducing ground balls than hunting swings and misses. He can get whiffs with his slider, which shows depth and lateral movement and ranges between 80-86 mph. His changeup, perhaps his best secondary pitch in high school, projects to be average despite being used sparingly last year. He is a consistent strike-thrower whose command flashes plus. He throws from a low three-quarters arm slot and from a delivery that looked looser and more athletic last season.

The Future: Savino has all the ingredients to have a future as a back-of-the-rotation starter. If he can maintain the bump in stuff he displayed last season and find it more consistently, perhaps he could be more than that. If not, he could project as an effective reliever. Scouting Grades: Fastball: 50. Slider: 50. Changeup: 50. Control: 55.
BA Grade/Risk: 45/Very High

Track Record: Seen as a possible first-round pick entering his senior year of high school, Savino instead enrolled early at Virginia, where he performed well but did not develop the way many scouts hoped. He did show signs of progress in 2022, particularly with a late-season uptick in stuff, displaying better velocity on both his fastball and slider.

Scouting Report: At his best, Savino can sit around 93-94 mph with his fastball. He gets good sink and arm-side run with the pitch and is at his best when working at the bottom of the zone. As a result, he is more about inducing ground balls than hunting swings and misses. He can get whiffs with his slider, which shows depth and lateral movement and ranges between 80-86 mph. His changeup, perhaps his best secondary pitch in high school, projects to be average despite being used sparingly last year. He is a consistent strike-thrower whose command flashes plus. He throws from a low three-quarters arm slot and from a delivery that looked looser and more athletic last season.

The Future: Savino has all the ingredients to have a future as a back-of-the-rotation starter. If he can maintain the bump in stuff he displayed last season and find it more consistently, perhaps he could be more than that. If not, he could project as an effective reliever. Scouting Grades: Fastball: 50. Slider: 50. Changeup: 50. Control: 55.
BA Grade: 45/High

August Update: Coming out of high school, Savino was viewed as a no-doubt first-round talent as one of the better lefthanded pitchers in the 2020 high school class. Instead of playing his senior season, Savino enrolled early at Virginia, where he hasn&#39t shown quite the same electric stuff, but has been a reliable starter for the Cavaliers. This spring, Savino posted a 3.69 ERA over 15 starts and 78 innings, with the best strikeout rate (23.1%) of his career. A 6-foot-3, 210-pound southpaw who attacks from a lower arm slot and has a sinking, low-90s fastball, Savino is more of a groundball pitcher—he induced ground balls at a 59% rate this spring—who excels by throwing quality strikes and inducing weak contact more than missing bats. At his best (like during his complete game shutout against Duke in March) Savino will show a plus slider in the low 80s with sweeping shape and angle that&#39s difficult on both lefties and righties. The pitch has come and gone throughout the spring however, and you&#39re as likely to see a 40-grade breaking ball as a 60. Savino also throws a mid-80s changeup that was a true weapon in high school, but he&#39s used it less frequently at UVA. Savino&#39s upside has dipped since his prep days, but he still has back-of-the-rotation potential.