- Full name Joey Nation
- Born 09/28/1978 in Oklahoma City, OK
- Profile Ht.: 6'2" / Wt.: 205 / Bats: L / Throws: L
- Debut 09/23/2000
Top Rankings
Organization Prospect Rankings
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Nation was the player to be named in the deal that sent big leaguers Jose Hernandez and Terry Mulholland to the Braves in July 1999, and he might be the only significant contributor to come out of the trade for the Cubs. Lefthander Micah Bowie was released last November, and righthander Ruben Quevedo had a disappointing big league debut in 2000. Nation got two big league starts after a solid Double-A season in which he ranked second in the Southern League in strikeouts. He's a finesse lefty whose best pitch is a changeup. He also throws an average fastball with nice life, as well as a solid curveball. He'll need to improve his fastball command after leading the Southern League in homers allowed and surrendering longballs to Placido Polanco and Kevin Jordan in the majors. Nation is a back-of-the-rotation starter who could help the Cubs by the second half of 2001. Don't be surprised if he gets passed by several other Cubs pitching prospects, which would put Nation's big league future probably in the bullpen.
