Zech Zinicola Stats & Scouting Report

IP	528
ERA	3.955
WHIP	1.364
BB/9	3.682
SO/9	7.636

Full name Zechry John Zinicola
Born 03/02/1985 in Loma Linda, CA
Profile Ht.: 6'1" / Wt.: 220 / Bats: R / Throws: R
School Arizona State
Drafted in the 6th round (181st overall) by the Washington Nationals in 2006 (signed for $147,500).

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Most college players live on campus as freshmen; Zinicola lived in a mobile home his parents brought from California. The oldest of six children, Zinicola is both a free spirit and a bulldog, particularly out of the bullpen, where he's shown closer moxie and led the Sun Devils in saves the last two seasons. Some scouts believe he's eccentric, while others see an immature player who won't play by the rules. He missed one weekend this spring with an academic suspension, and he's considered signable. An unsigned 44th-round pick out of high school (Braves), Zinicola spent his first two seasons both hitting and pitching, but in 2006 he had only one at-bat and settled into the bullpen after two starts. His stuff plays well in a relief role, as he's pumped his low 90s fastball as high as 95 mph while showing an average changeup with split-finger action. His slider remains inconsistent, and to be a big league closer Zinicola will have to hit his spots more consistently.

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Zinicola developed a reputation in college for being either eccentric or immature, depending on who you ask. He followed up his stellar pro debut--during which he posted a 1.65 ERA over three levels while reaching Double-A to rank No. 6 on this list a year ago--with a rough sophomore campaign. The Nationals think his struggles had more to do with his head than anything else. He blew a couple of saves early in the season and felt like he was letting his team down, so he started pressing and his command became erratic. He was better in the second half and looked good in instructional league before heading to the Arizona Fall League. When Zinicola commands his fastball down in the zone, he'll pitch at 92-93 mph and touch 95 with heavy sink. He also mixes in a plus 82-85 mph slider with good bite, and he was working to develop a changeup in instructs. Sometimes he falls into patterns where he doesn't use the slider as much as he ought to. Zinicola still has the stuff to be a late-inning reliever in the majors, but he needs to be more consistent with his command and his mental approach. A standout spring could land him in Washington on Opening Day, but he's more likely to head to Triple-A.
A free spirit who lived in a mobile home while he attended Arizona State, Zinicola settled in as the Sun Devils' closer his junior season after playing both ways his first two years. He signed for $147,500 as a sixth-rounder in June, then was named Nationals minor league pitcher of the year after dominating at three levels and finishing at Double-A. Zinicola has a power repertoire perfect for the back of the bullpen. He runs his plus fastball up to 95 mph routinely, and he complements it with an above-average 82-85 mph slider with tight bite. In college he threw an average changeup with splitter action, but he rarely used the pitch during his pro debut. Zinicola has a bulldog mentality, a physical frame and a clean, repeatable delivery. He needs to fine-tune his command, which lapsed late in the season as a heavy workload took its toll. Scouts questioned Zinicola's maturity at times in college, but it wasn't an issue in pro ball. Similar to former top Washington first-rounders Chad Cordero and Bill Bray, Zinicola is on the fast track. He could be a set-up man in the big leagues as soon as 2007, and he could be in line to replace Cordero as the closer in the future.