Nick Nastrini

Nastrini drew considerable draft interest in high school as a projectable righthander with a polished delivery. He grew into his projected velocity at UCLA and entered the year considered one of the best pitching prospects on the West Coast, but his control deteriorated rapidly in what became a miserable season. Nastrini walked 38 batters and threw nine wild pitches in 31.1 innings. He was demoted from the rotation to the bullpen in April and made only one appearance the final month of the season. Nastrini has grown into a big, physical righthander with plenty of stuff. A sturdy 6-foot-3, 215 pounds, Nastrini has a fastball that ranges from 92-96 mph as a starter, touches 98 in relief and plays up with high spin rates at the top of the strike zone. He has feel for a potentially plus changeup and his breaking ball has flashed plus at its best, although it is inconsistent and will get caught in between a slider and curveball. While there is no doubting Nastrini’s stuff, his inability to find the strike zone got worse as the year went on, to the point most observers believe he has the yips. He failed to record an out in either of his final two outings, walking all three batters he faced and throwing two wild pitches. Nastrini is a good athlete who threw strikes in the past, so teams are hopeful they can build his confidence back up and get him back to his previous form.