Nathan Eovaldi

Organization Prospect Rankings

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  Ranked Los Angeles Dodgers #3 prospect in 2012
  Eovaldi fell to the 11th round of the 2008 draft because he had Tommy John surgery as a high school junior and made a strong commitment to Texas A&M. The Dodgers weren't scared off and signed him for $250,000. After a solid but unspectacular start to his pro career, he took off in 2011, dominating Double-A and making his big league debut at age 21. Eovaldi has a power arsenal, led by a heater that works at 94-98 mph with good downhill angle and occasional late life. His fastball touched triple digits when he came out of the bullpen in the majors. He has a wrist wrap in his arm action that has led to inconsistency, but he did a better job in 2011 of staying over the rubber longer and allowing his arm to clear, helping his fastball command. Eovaldi ditched his curveball after 2010 and developed an 85-91 mph slider that's a plus pitch with tilt and late movement at its best. His changeup is fringy but good enough to keep hitters honest. His key going forward will be to throw more strikes. Some scouts believe Eovaldi fits best as a two-pitch, late-inning reliever, but Los Angeles will keep him a starter. He'll vie for a spot in the big league rotation in spring training.
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  Ranked Los Angeles Dodgers #17 prospect in 2011
  Eovaldi had Tommy John surgery as a high school junior. That, along with his price tag and strong commitment to Texas A&M, caused him to drop to the 11th round of the 2008 draft. Sales pitches by Joe Torre, Chad Billingsley and Jonathan Broxton, to say nothing of a $250,000 bonus, swayed Eovaldi to sign that July. He was the only pitcher in the California League to throw two shutouts last year, but he was shut down in July with a strained lat muscle. Eovaldi owns a heavy fastball that comes at hitters in the low to mid-90s and tops out at 96 mph with occasional late life. He has a wrap in his arm action that causes inconsistency with his curveball. The curve shows above-average potential with tilt and depth when it's on, but it can get slurvy. He also has a fringy changeup that he developed a better feel for last season, and he has to command the strike zone more effectively. The Dodgers laud Eovaldi for his fearless nature on the mound as well as his maturity off it. He has the potential to be a mid-rotation starter, though he also could end up as a weapon out of the bullpen. Like Ethan Martin, he could find himself back in high Class A to start 2011 but should be on his way to Chattanooga at some point.
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  Ranked Los Angeles Dodgers #13 prospect in 2010
  Eovaldi hails from Alvin, Texas, the same hometown as Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan. A fireballer in his own right, Eovaldi lasted 11 rounds in the 2008 draft because he was coming off Tommy John surgery the previous spring and was strongly committed to Texas A&M. The Dodgers persuaded him to sign with a $250,000 bonus and telephone sales pitches from manager Joe Torre and big leaguers Chad Billingsley and Jonathan Broxton. Eovaldi's game is all about heat, as he throws his fastball at 93-96 mph. He has developed a curveball since coming into pro ball but is inconsistent with it. He threw a slider in high school but shelved it because he felt it might have been the cause of his elbow problems. He has yet to gain a good feel for the changeup. There are some concerns about Eovaldi's durability because on his injury history. The Dodgers have been very careful with him and used him in tandem with 2008 first-rounder Ethan Martin in several outings at Great Lakes last season. Eovaldi will move to high Class A Inland Empire this season. If he doesn't develop his other pitches and work out as a starter, he still has the fastball to be an effective late-inning reliever.
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  Ranked Los Angeles Dodgers #10 prospect in 2009
  After Tommy John surgery in May 2007, Eovaldi rushed back to pitch as a high school senior, returning to game action 11 months after surgery. Committed to Texas A&M, he scared clubs off with his signability. But area scout Chris Smith didn't give up, and the Dodgers signed Eovaldi in the 11th round for $250,000. Eovaldi projects as a classic Texas power pitcher. His fastball already had climbed back to 91-93 mph in the spring, and in his final outing of the summer, he didn't throw a pitch under 94 and hit 96 mph 20 times. He has a strong body, a decent delivery with good downhill plane and an aggressive approach on the mound. Eovaldi's hard breaking ball was inconsistent before he got hurt and he didn't try to throw it as a high school senior. The Dodgers helped him develop a tighter, sharper curveball in instructional league and think it can develop into a solid-average pitch in time. He has little experience using a changeup. While he will need innings to polish some rough edges, Eovaldi could move fast because of his live arm. He should open 2009 in the Great Lakes rotation, looking to grind through a full pro season. The development of his changeup will help determine if Eovaldi remains a starter long-term or moves to the bullpen.

Minor League Top Prospects

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  Ranked Southern League #13 prospect in 2011
  Eovaldi threw a career-high 138 in 2011, starting the year in Double-A before making his major league debut on Aug. 6. He gave up 11 runs in six big league starts for the Dodgers before transitioning into a bullpen role in September. Eovaldi throws from a high three-quarters slot, working at 92-95 mph and peaking at 98 with his fastball, which shows occasional sink and late life. He threw a curveball in the past, but he struggled to throw it consistently for strikes and switched to a slider last year during instructional league. His slider is an average pitch that gets some swings and misses but has inconsistent tilt and bit. While Eovaldi's straight changeup is below average, it can keep hitters off balance. He throws with some effort and wraps his wrist in the back of his arm action, which hampers his control and can create stress on his arm. If he doesn't have the durability or command to hold up as a starter, he could profile as a quality reliever.

Top 100 Rankings

• Ranked Baseball America's #96 prospect in 2012

• December, 2011 Scouting Report
  Background: Eovaldi fell to the 11th round of the 2008 draft because he had Tommy John surgery as a high school junior and made a strong commitment to Texas A&M. The Dodgers weren't scared off and signed him for $250,000. After a solid but unspectacular start to his pro career, he took off in 2011, dominating Double-A and making his big league debut at age 21. Scouting Report: Eovaldi has a power arsenal, led by a heater that works at 94-98 mph with good downhill angle and occasional late life. His fastball touched triple digits when he came out of the bullpen in the majors. He has a wrist wrap in his arm action that has led to inconsistency, but he did a better job in 2011 of staying over the rubber longer and allowing his arm to clear, aiding his fastball command. Eovaldi ditched his curveball after 2010 and developed an 85-91 mph slider that's a plus pitch with tilt and late movement at its best. His changeup is fringy but good enough to keep hitters honest. His key going forward will be to throw more strikes. The Future: Some scouts believe Eovaldi fits best as a two-pitch, late-inning reliever, but Los Angeles will keep him a starter. He'll vie for a spot in the big league rotation in spring training.