Nick Mears

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Pittsburgh Pirates #19 prospect in 2020
  TRACK RECORD: Mears went from an undrafted pitcher signed as an injury replacement to a legitimate relief prospect in the span of a year. The 6-foot-3 righthander added 30 pounds to his frame following the 2018 season and saw his velocity spike. The Pirates moved him all the way up to Double-A in his first full season, then sent him to the Arizona Fall League, where he finished the season with 8.2 shutout innings.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Mears' added weight led to an increase in velocity. His fastball now sits 96-98 mph most nights and touches as high as 101. Mears likes to throw his fastball high in the zone, and it was the primary pitch that helped him notch 50 strikeouts in 35 innings. His control also improved as the year went on. In the past, Mears has paired his fastball with a slider, which wasn't an effective pitch. He's since been working on a 1-to-7 curveball, aimed at playing off his high fastball with a north-south approach.
  
  THE FUTURE: The velocity and control improvements have Mears looking like a potential late-inning reliever. A better breaking pitch could cement his future status in a big league bullpen.

• July, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: Mears went from an undrafted pitcher signed as an injury replacement to a legitimate relief prospect in the span of a year. The 6-foot-3 righthander added 30 pounds to his frame following the 2018 season and saw his velocity spike. The Pirates moved him all the way up to Double-A in his first full season, then sent him to the Arizona Fall League, where he finished the season with 8.2 shutout innings.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Mears’ added weight led to an increase in velocity. His fastball now sits 96-98 mph most nights and touches as high as 101. Mears likes to throw his fastball high in the zone, and it was the primary pitch that helped him notch 50 strikeouts in 35 innings. His control also improved as the year went on. In the past, Mears has paired his fastball with a slider, which wasn’t an effective pitch. He’s since been working on a 1-to-7 curveball, aimed at playing off his high fastball with a north-south approach.
  
  THE FUTURE: The velocity and control improvements have Mears looking like a potential late-inning BA GRADE 50 Risk: Extreme BA GRADE 45 Risk: High BA GRADE 45 Risk: High reliever. A better breaking pitch could cement his future status in a big league bullpen.
• February, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: Mears went from an undrafted pitcher signed as an injury replacement to a legitimate relief prospect in the span of a year. The 6-foot-3 righthander added 30 pounds to his frame following the 2018 season and saw his velocity spike. The Pirates moved him all the way up to Double-A in his first full season, then sent him to the Arizona Fall League, where he finished the season with 8.2 shutout innings.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Mears' added weight led to an increase in velocity. His fastball now sits 96-98 mph most nights and touches as high as 101. Mears likes to throw his fastball high in the zone, and it was the primary pitch that helped him notch 50 strikeouts in 35 innings. His control also improved as the year went on. In the past, Mears has paired his fastball with a slider, which wasn't an effective pitch. He's since been working on a 1-to-7 curveball, aimed at playing off his high fastball with a north-south approach.
  
  THE FUTURE: The velocity and control improvements have Mears looking like a potential late-inning reliever. A better breaking pitch could cement his future status in a big league bullpen.