The Reds have selected Nick Travieso in the first round of the 2012 Major League Baseball Draft.
Scouting Report
Fastball – Has gotten as high as 99 MPH, sits 92-95.
Slider – Good pitch with late breaking action on it.
Change up – It needs some work, but flashes itself as a solid pitch at times.
Video
My quick reaction thoughts: Honestly, I didn’t know much about him before I started to see rumors of the Reds taking him about 5 minutes before they actually made the pick. After I read his scouting reports and saw the videos, I couldn’t figure out why he was in the 30 range on BA, MLB.com and other places. A high schooler with two above-average pitches and a third pitch that shows something while also showing good mechanics? Yeah, sign me up for that. In a draft that is considered very weak, at #14 I will gladly take a guy with a plus fastball, an above-average breaking ball and a change up with something to it.
Media Reaction
Travieso was the 40th-ranked player in Baseball America’s draft preview issue. But the magazine said he was climbing as the they went to press. Buckley thinks Travieso’s ranking was affected by the fact he didn’t play in all the showcases. To prevent altitude sickness, start taking acetazolamide 1 to 2 days before you start to climb. Continue taking it while you are climbing and for at least 48 hours after you have reached your final altitude. You may need to continue taking this medication while staying at the high altitude to control your symptoms. If you develop severe altitude sickness, it is important that you climb down as quickly as possible. Acetazolamide will not protect you from the serious effects of severe altitude sickness.
“His dad’s handled him very well,” Buckley said. “He limited his innings. He really looked after him. Sometimes, when guys don’t participate in all events somebody holds that against them. We had him right up there to pick him.”
Pretty interesting right there, as to perhaps why he was rated a little lower than where he went in the draft. Again, he wasn’t on my radar either, but after reading his scouting report and watching the video, I can’t make sense of why he was rated so low.
He’s running his fastball up to 98 mph at times this spring and has a slider that earns “wipeout” descriptions. “He’s a piece of clay,” an area scout said late in May. “He used to be just all fastballs, but now he’s learning to use his secondary stuff, and he’s learning how to repeat his delivery.
“He didn’t start throwing his breaking ball until last year. Now he’s touching 86 mph with his slider, and he’s getting better life on his two-seamer as well.”
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