Nick Lodolo’s Bet On Himself, Decision To Attend TCU Pays Off

Image credit: Nick Lodolo (Photo by John Williamson)

Nick Lodolo bet on himself when he elected not to sign with the Pirates out of high school as the 41st overall pick in 2016. Three years later, the bet paid off.

The Reds selected Lodolo with the No. 7 overall pick Monday night. The Texas Christian lefthander was the first pitcher taken after asserting himself as the best pitcher in an otherwise weak class for arms.

“I was pretty much set on [school] to begin with,” Lodolo said. “I knew that if I signed out of high school, I was not going to go back to do four years of education and education was really important to me and my family.”

Lodolo’s time at TCU allowed him to grow into his body. The junior is now 205 pounds, approximately 30 more pounds than he weighed going into college.

Along with that time to develop and work on his strength, Lodolo attributes much of his success to the coaching staff that he worked with in recent years.

“[Coach Kirk Saarloos] has been phenomenal since the day I got here,” Lodolo said. “I enjoy Coach Saarloos so much and not just as a pitching coach, but as someone off the field who helps you in any way possible you can imagine.”

Lodolo remains confident in the training that he received and doesn’t feel like he has anything to worry about when it comes to those who doubt this year’s pitchers.

“I’m not honestly worried about that at all, the outside stuff like that,” Lodolo said. “I think in any class I could be a top pitcher. I believe in myself and my stuff.”