Written By: Austin F
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Reds No. 1 Prospect Nick Lodolo – Chattanooga Lookouts (AA)
23 Years Old – Throws: L – Bats: R – 6’6″- 205lbs – ETA: 2021
| FB | SL | CH | Control | FV |
| 55/60 | 45/55 | 40/50 | 50/60 | 55 |
| IP | G | GS | ERA | WHIP | K% | BB% | HR/9 |
| 18.1 | 8 | 8 | 2.45 | 0.98 | 40.5% | 0.0% | 0.49 |
| SwStr% | xFIP | GB% | LD% | FB% | Pull% | Cent% | Oppo% |
| 18.0% | 1.57 | 40.5% | 31.0% | 28.6% | 39.5% | 30.2% | 30.2% |
Draft History and Professional Debut
Nick Lodolo is a two-time 1st round draft pick that was originally drafted 41st overall in 2016 by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the competitive balance round but chose to play for Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, TX over the Pirates and was taken higher in the 2019 draft as the 7th overall pick by the Cincinnati Reds. The second time around, the California native signed for $5,432,400 and made his professional debut the same year with the Billings Mustangs before being promoted to the Dayton Dragons, the Reds A-ball affiliate.
Fastball: 55/60
Lodolo’s fastball hits low-mid 90s consistently with some sinking action. He likes to pitch to the bottom part of the zone and can pound the corners. His fastball is his best pitch in his repertoire and shows signs to be a plus offering with his ability to dot up the corners in most situations.
Slider: 45/55
Breaking ball hits low 80s. There is bite to his slider and he uses it to fool batters. However, it does get away from him and tends to break out of the zone as there is plenty of bite. He will need to improve his control over the pitch to put it to full use.
Changeup: 40/50
The third pitch in Lodolo’s arsenal is his changeup. It projects to be an average pitch with continued development, giving him three Major League pitches. He can locate it for strikes but needs to add more depth to it.
Control and Mechanics: 50/60
The southpaw pitches from a mid-3/4s slot with repeatable mechanics. He displays medium effort in his delivery and shows the ability to work quickly on the mound. Lodolo shows potential for above average control and produces a lot of ground ball outs. His breaking pitch is impressive and as stated earlier, can fool hitters despite tending to break out of the zone at times.
Future Value: 55
Nick Lodolo has a bright future with the Cincinnati Reds. He gets out of innings quickly and could eat a lot of them in the MLB as either a #2 or #3 starter. With Trevor Bauer now on the Los Angeles Dodgers, Luis Castillo appears to be the Reds ace for the next few years with Sonny Gray in the #2 slot. Lodolo should fill in very nicely with the #3 slot of the Reds rotation once he is called up to the show. After a strong professional debut in 2019, he could be a late season callup in 2021 with a strong season in the minors.
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