Nick Tropeano

Just about everywhere Nick Tropeano has pitched, he has posted gaudy numbers. He was named the top prospect in the Atlantic Collegiate League in 2009, tossed a complete game against Coastal Carolina in NCAA regional play last year and led Cotuit to a Cape Cod League title last summer by pitching seven innings of hitless relief with seven strikeouts in the championship game. He followed all that up with a strong spring as Stony Brook's No. 1 starter, going 12-1, 1.84 during the regular season with 119 strikeouts against 24 walks in 93 innings. Tropeano's statistics are better than his pure stuff, and he uses pitching savvy and competitiveness to get hitters out. His fastball sits at 86-90 mph and touches 92, and he relies heavily on his secondary stuff. He has arguably the best changeup in the college ranks, a plus pitch that he'll throw in any count, and a hard slider. He has worked on a sinker. At 6-foot-4 and 205 pounds, Tropeano has a prototypical pitcher's body and is an innings-eater, but if he doesn't boost his upper-80s fastball he'll need to have above-average command throughout his career to advance. Tropeano should get taken between the fifth and eighth rounds.