Nick
Lodolo

8/5/15 - 86-89. 68-71 curveball. 80 changeup. Tall, skinny frame. Downhill fastball with arm-side life. Loose, easy delivery. Changeup has sink. Slow arm at times. 3/4 slot. Slurvy curveball with 2/8 shape.

4/5/19: The southpaw came out in front of over 20 scouts there to get a midseason look on what many expect to be a surefire first round pick this summer. Lodolo came out firing rearing back and touching 94 several times before settling in at 91-92 where he was more effective because of the run he was able to get on the ball at that velocity. He struggled a tick with his command in the first where he surrendered three unearned runs – one as a result of his errant throw into right field. He flashed his customary high 3/4 slot on both his fastball and his slider that showed late, snappy, biting action beginning in the second inning. The pitched lived 78-79 and he was able to spot it to both sides of the plate and collected three strikeouts with it. Beginning in the second inning Lodolo was able to throw both pitches for strikes and in unexpected counts which had hitters guessing. Lodolo scattered 10 hits in his five innings of work on 79 pitches. He walked none and struck out five. (Lukach)

3/1/19 Standing 6-foot-6, 195 pounds and possessing an athletic, repeatable delivery, Lodolo already looks the part of ML starting pitcher. On Friday against Houston he showed the stuff and command of a future frontline ML starting pitcher by mixing a 92-93 (T94) mph fastball with two above-average breaking balls and an above average changeup. His curveball was a consistent 80-81 mph, while the slider jumped to the plate at 87-88. All of Lodolo's pitches played up with the deception and angle he creates on all of his offerings. The ball gets on top of hitters quickly, giving them a short window in which to see the ball. Lodolo retired the first 14 hitters he faced then briefly lost his delivery with a leadoff walk on four pitches in the sixth. He regrouped and executed his pitches, striking out the side; one swinging and two looking on well placed fastballs. During his seven-inning, 97-pitch start, he allowed one hit, one walk and struck out 13. With continued good health and performances like this one, expect Lodolo to be highly considered in the top 10 overall picks this June. (Seifert)

2/15/19: High waist, long limbs. Low effort delivery, works from middle of the rubber. Lands across body. Creates big time angle. Moved on quickly from mistake/bad calls. Fastball 93-94 mph, touched 95. Was dominant to glove side (umpire couldn't handle angle). Angle and run help FB play up, yet got hit hard when left in middle of the plate. Two at least average off-speed pitches. Slurvy breaking ball at 79-81 out of same window. Change to right-handed hitters at 83-85 mph with depth and fade. As control continues to improve, will have three potential swing and miss pitches. One of the top arms in the country. Future top/mid rotation starter. (Arnold)

10/10/18: At 6-foot-6, 202-pounds, the left-hander has a lean-strong, proportionate frame with tons of long term projection and upside. Working from a slot, he has a loose-quick arm stroke and low-effort delivery, he gets his hand out front releasing all three pitches from the same tunnel. His fastball was 92-93, topping out at 94 several times on the scoreboard as well as other guns in the stands. Stays on top of his curveball which comes out on the same plane as his fastball, making it tough for hitters to pick up. The pitch has tight rotation and 2/8 shape with late breaking depth. Only threw a couple of changeups at 86 mph, leaving one up in the zone. Surgical outing for the junior, facing the minimum in three innings, getting two punchouts in the firsts, one in the second, and inducing weak contact overall. The long term projection is what is most intriguing for Lodolo, as he shows real feel with elite stuff and two plus pitches. (Bicknell)

10-1-2018: Lodolo’s best days are most certainly ahead of him. Lodolo has a tall and lanky frame, and reminds me (and many others) a lot of Andrew Miller, both body and delivery wise from his college days. Lodolo will sit anywhere from 88-91 and up to 92-93 with his fastball. I’ve seen him at 92-93 before, but he’ll sit in that 88-91 range for the most part. Lodolo isn’t afraid to throw that fastball inside on righthanded hitters, but he does have command issues with that pitch, and his other offerings. Lodolo will work with an 84-85 mph changeup, but his calling card in terms of secondary offerings is his slurve/curveball, which sits anywhere from 76-79 at times. On a good day, Lodolo’s curveball is unhittable on the side part of the plate against lefthanded hitters, and he’ll attack righties on the inside part of the plate on their backside foot. Everything is there for Lodolo, but he must establish consistency. Right now, he’s one of those guys that will look great one inning and discombobulated the next. But it’s all there. (Rogers)