The Cincinnati Reds reportedly had an agreement in place with Nick Lodolo the night that he was selected 7th overall in the 1st round of the Major League Baseball draft. Today that agreement became official as the team and Lodolo signed the contract, according to Jim Callis of MLB Pipeline. And he got the full slot value of his spot in the draft.
1st-rder Nick Lodolo signs with @Reds for $5,432,400 (full pick 7 value). Texas Christian LHP, best pitching prospect in @MLBDraft, solid three-pitch mix and control to match.
— Jim Callis (@jimcallisMLB) June 11, 2019
This is one of the quicker 1st round signings in recent memory for the Reds. Last season Jonathan India didn’t sign until July 3rd, just a few days before the signing deadline. Not that there was ever any concern that he wouldn’t sign. The year before the Reds signed Hunter Greene with about a minute to spare, and no, that’s not an exaggeration. Nick Senzel was a quick signing, inking his contract within the first week of the draft taking place.
There’s no word yet on where Nick Lodolo will begin his career. With as advanced as he is, Dayton or Daytona wouldn’t be surprising. With that said, the Reds have been willing to send a guy to Greeneville (Jonathan India) or Billings (Nick Senzel) out of the gate to give an affiliate something to hang their hat on, sell some tickets, and future merchandise with and that wouldn’t be surprising to see, either. But much like those examples, if Lodolo does go to rookie ball, expect the stay to be short.
Here’s the scouting report on Nick Lodolo from draft day:
The 6’ 6″ and 205-pound left-handed pitcher from TCU is having a dominant junior season. He was a 1st round pick back in 2016 out of high school, going 41st overall to the Pirates, but would go unsigned and head to college. After having solid, but unspectacular results in his first two seasons as a starter, 2019 has seen him break out in a big way. He’s made 15 starts and posted a 2.48 ERA in 98.0 innings with 21 walks and 125 strikeouts for the Horned Frogs.
The big lefty throws his fastball in the low-to-mid 90’s and he does so on a downhill plane thanks to his height and arm angle. He’s scrapped a curveball in favor of a slider that has flashed itself as a well above-average pitch in the low 80’s. His change up will also flash itself as an above-average pitch.
The consistency with his secondary offerings have been the difference maker in 2019. He’s set himself apart from the rest of the college pitchers and was the top arm on the board.
To see how his signing bonus, and the bonus of others comes into play with the Cincinnati Reds draft pool, and potential penalties, check out The Cincinnati Reds 2019 Draft Tracker.