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    Nestor Lorant (Photo: Aldrin Capulong/Daytona Tortugas)
    Photo: Aldrin Capulong/Daytona Tortugas

    Nestor Lorant named Florida State League Pitcher of the Year

    Doug Gray 22

    Minor League Baseball and the Florida State League named their end of the year All-Star teams as well as league award winners. Nestor Lorant was the only Cincinnati Reds prospect and Daytona Tortugas to make the All-Star team. He was one of four starting pitchers named to the team. He was also awarded the league’s Pitcher of the Year award.

    During his time in 2024 with Daytona, Nestor Lorant spent much of his year piggybacking the starts of Adam Serwinowski. In the second half he moved into the rotation. By the time his year was complete in the Florida State League he had a record of 8-3 to go along with a 1.44 ERA. In his 87.2 innings pitched he walked 22 batters and racked up 99 strikeouts.

    Only five pitchers in the league qualified for the league’s ERA title. Nestor Lorant’s 87.2 innings fell 15.0 innings shy of the needed amount of innings. Among pitchers with at least 70.0 innings in the league, Lorant’s 1.44 ERA was easily the best (Ixan Henderson was the closest at 2.10). He also had the best WHIP at 0.87, with the next closest pitcher being at 1.02.

    Batters didn’t find success in any given area against Lorant. They had a .180 batting average, a .245 on-base percentage, and slugged just .267 against him. All three of those were the best in the league for pitchers with at least 70.0 innings pitched.

    Hitters had the highest swinging strike rate against him among all pitchers in the league with at least 70.0 innings. They also had the highest K-BB% rate against him in the league. Lorant’s HR/FB rate was the 4th best in the league.

    With everything considered there really wasn’t another option for the league’s pitcher of the year award. Nestor Lorant was beyond dominant throughout the season. He’s the second Daytona Tortugas to win the award. Amir Garrett took home the honors back in 2015 when he posted a 2.44 ERA in 140.1 innings pitched while making 26 starts.

    Doug Gray
    Doug Gray is the owner and operator of this website and has been running it since 2006 in one variation or another.

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    22 Responses

    2. I wish they would have left him in Daytona for the playoff push. Was with that team all year, not sure if a handful of appearances in Dayton would have been more valuable than a playoff start with the guys he’d been playing with all year.

      1. It was more about a depleted playoff push pitching staff in Dayton who lost theirs to the Minor League worst depleted Chattanooga pitching staff whose pitchers augmented Louisville who augmented Cincy. This is just another reason there is a need for a Pitching Coordinator who spends full time on the minors.

        1. To be fair, the Reds have two full time pitching coordinators in the minor leagues. Derek Johnson is the director of pitching.

        2. MK, are you really complaining that pitchers are being promoted in the system?

          They’ve brought up Greene, Ashcraft, Lodolo, Abbott, Williamson, Aguilar and Lowder (1.72 ERA in 4 MLB starts) as starters in the past 3 seasons. Isn’t that the whole idea?

          And they have 21-year-olds Chase Burns and Chase Petty waiting in the wings, not to mention Lorant and Serwinowski and others.

        3. The Reds have plenty of pitching coordinators in player development that travel to all the different minor league site’s and games. Injuries unfortunately are part of the game and it’s given several pitchers from the ACL, Daytona, Dayton, Chattanooga, & Louisville opportunities this year and many have taken advantage of it. It’s given those coordinators the chance to see what they have in the pipeline which is a good thing.

      2. Count me as one fan whose glad the Reds push their prospects according to competition and more innings instead of valuing comradery and low minors trophies. Since essentially no one on here ever thinks about what the player might want for his career, I’d imagine chances are high that Nestor would agree with me.

    3. Does Nestor Lorant remind me of a pitcher a few years back (maybe some of the veteran MiLB followers on here remember him) that didn’t have the most dominating stuff but killed it in A ball but never made it to the big leagues? Anyone remember who I am referring to and does he compare to NL?

      2. If you are thinking of Ben Lively in the Cal League, he did actually dominate there AND, as you know, has made a nice career in major league ball, both here and overseas. There were years’ worth of debate over who ‘was better,’ Lively or Robert Stephenson. Well, “debate” isn’t exactly the right word …

        Otherwise, I’d just say, “These are not the droids you’re looking for.”

    4. memory jogger. He was a softer-tossing right handed starting pitcher that killed it in the low minors. I think he made it to AAA but never made it to the majors. He was from a Latin country and it was from about 5-6 years ago….although time flies. Anyone know who I am thinking about?

    5. Alejandro Chacin! I had to look it up. Last pitched in 2018 for the Reds minor leagues. How does he compare to Chacin?

      2. I’m not entirely sure what to make of Lorant. So far, in full season ball, he just gets guys out. A lot. I think he throws a pretty good slider to go with lower velocity. As I’ve said, I often wonder who is teaching the kids coming up through the complex leagues as well as Lo-A to throw their sliders, because we have some kids with good ones. Franco, Lorant, Montero, Laureano, Lorduy, Aguilera, as well as draftees Aguia & Rivera. There really must be some darn good instruction happening lower down.

        1. Edgington…he just gets no love but look at the top pitchers with most innings for Reds minor leaguers this year he’s in Top 6. He gives u consistent innings and has one of best K/BB ratio & K’s per 9/BB’s per 9. Yes, he’s 26 but as a free agent signing in his first year look at the numbers. See I’m a believer that if u can get guys out consistently then what does it really matter how hard u through?
          I would love to see Lorant & Edgington get there chance vs guys that just have velo but can’t move forward.
          This velocity thing is ruining baseball and causing more injuries.

        2. JR you have to be related to Brian or know him because he is the only player you ever post about on here. There is no way you just randomly became a fan and carrier of the Brian Edgington fan club otherwise.

          He has performed the tasks asked of him. Hopefully the Reds keep giving him chances until he can’t do that. Players should not have their opportunities taken away from them before they get the chance to fail.

      1. I spent five hours this afternoon in bed.

        It has not been a good day. Might get something done tonight, but probably more likely going to be tomorrow.

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