Nick Nelson

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked New York Yankees #23 prospect in 2021
  TRACK RECORD: Nelson was a two-way player in college, but the Yankees liked him better on the mound. By focusing solely on pitching, the team hoped Nelson would gain a better handle on his excellent natural stuff. Added to the 40-man roster after 2019, Nelson made 11 big league relief appearances in the regular season and was included on the rosters for both rounds of the playoffs. 
  SCOUTING REPORT: Nelson stayed back in Tampa over the offseason to work on taking his stuff to the next level. The result was a fastball with a tick more velocity and a slider with a new, sweepier break than his previous version, which gave him a more effective weapon against righties. Nelson's high-80s changeup is his most advanced pitch, though both it and his slider induced swinging-strike rates of better than 32% in the big leagues. He also throws a high-70s, downer curveball that works best for early-count strikes. 
  THE FUTURE: Nelson has settled into his likely long-term role: middle-innings reliever who can rack up strikeouts. He was excellent in spring training, with 10 strikeouts against just one walk in 10 Grapefruit League innings, and earned a spot in the big league bullpen.
• 
  Ranked New York Yankees #28 prospect in 2020
  TRACK RECORD: Nelson was a two-way player at Gulf Coast State JC who led the team in both innings pitched and at-bats in his draft season. The Yankees liked Nelson better on the mound and spent a fourthround pick and $350,000 to acquire him and see if they could unlock more by having him focus solely on pitching. His season was delayed by about a month in 2019 with a sore right shoulder but he still racked up an average of 11.4 strikeouts per nine innings over the rest of the season.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Nelson combines a low-to-mid-90s fastball with a potentially above-average changeup he added as a pro and a pair of breaking balls fronted by a downer curveball. He added a slider last season and continued to develop the pitch in 2019.
  
  THE FUTURE: Nelson struggled after a promotion to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and will need to see his offspeed pitches gain more polish in order to achieve his ceiling in the back of a rotation. If that doesn't happen, he could find himself in a middle-innings relief role. He'll return to Triple-A in 2020.
• 
  Ranked New York Yankees #19 prospect in 2019
  Track Record: Nelson was a two-way player in college, but scouts were more intrigued by what he could do on the mound. His first two seasons as a pro were fair before a breakout 2018. His 144 strikeouts across three levels ranked second in the system behind only Michael King. His command was lacking, however, as he walked nearly five batters per nine innings.
  
  Scouting Report: Nelson works with a power arsenal fronted by fastball that averaged 95 mph, touched as high as 98 and showed solid carry through the zone. He holds his velocity throughout his starts. Nelson buttresses the fastball with a sharp-biting, downer curveball in the 78-80 mph range as well as an 87-90 mph changeup that lags behind his other offerings. His command issues are particularly vexing to evaluators, who see a simple, clean delivery. He shows a mild tendency toward nibbling which, if alleviated, could help him cut down his walks.
  
  The Future: Nelson could find himself as back-end starter if he irons out his command and sharpens his changeup. If not, his fastball and curveball may be enough for him to carve out a bullpen role.

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #325 prospect in 2016 draft
  A two-way workhorse at Gulf Coast State JC, Nelson led the Commodores in both innings pitched and at-bats. Professional scouts are most interested in him as a pitcher, though he would remain a two-way player if he continues on to Florida, where he is committed. Nelson isn't particularly tall (he's listed at 6-foot-1), but has a strong, physical frame. Along with that comes some solid arm strength, and he sits in the low 90s with his fastball. He pairs that with a breaking ball that shows some promise. Nelson profiles best as a reliever. As a hitter, he provides some righthanded power that should play well in college.

• July, 2021 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: Nelson was a two-way player in college, but the Yankees liked him better on the mound. By focusing solely on pitching, the team hoped Nelson would gain a better handle on his excellent natural stuff. Added to the 40-man roster after 2019, Nelson made 11 big league relief appearances in the regular season and was included on the rosters for both rounds of the playoffs.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Nelson stayed back in Tampa over the offseason to work on taking his stuff to the next level. The result was a fastball with a tick more velocity and a slider with new, sweepier break than his previous version, which gave him a more effective weapon against righties. Nelson's high-80s changeup is his most advanced pitch, though both it and his slider induced swinging-strike rates of better than 32% in the big leagues. He also throws a high-70s, downer curveball that works best for early-count strikes.
  
  THE FUTURE: Nelson has settled into his likely long-term role: Middle-innings reliever who can rack up strikeouts. He'll be in the mix for the 2021 bullpen.
• March, 2021 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: Nelson was a two-way player in college, but the Yankees liked him better on the mound. By focusing solely on pitching, the team hoped Nelson would gain a better handle on his excellent natural stuff. Added to the 40-man roster after 2019, Nelson made 11 big league relief appearances in the regular season and was included on the rosters for both rounds of the playoffs.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Nelson stayed back in Tampa over the offseason to work on taking his stuff to the next level. The result was a fastball with a tick more velocity and a slider with new, sweepier break than his previous version, which gave him a more effective weapon against righties. Nelson's high-80s changeup is his most advanced pitch, though both it and his slider induced swinging-strike rates of better than 32% in the big leagues. He also throws a high-70s, downer curveball that works best for early-count strikes.
  
  THE FUTURE: Nelson has settled into his likely long-term role: Middle-innings reliever who can rack up strikeouts. He'll be in the mix for the 2021 bullpen.
• December, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: Nelson was a two-way player in college, but the Yankees liked him better on the mound. By focusing solely on pitching, the team hoped Nelson would gain a better handle on his excellent natural stuff. Added to the 40-man roster after 2019, Nelson made 11 big league relief appearances in the regular season and was included on the rosters for both rounds of the playoffs. 
  SCOUTING REPORT: Nelson stayed back in Tampa over the offseason to work on taking his stuff to the next level. The result was a fastball with a tick more velocity and a slider with a new, sweepier break than his previous version, which gave him a more effective weapon against righties. Nelson's high-80s changeup is his most advanced pitch, though both it and his slider induced swinging-strike rates of better than 32% in the big leagues. He also throws a high-70s, downer curveball that works best for early-count strikes. 
  THE FUTURE: Nelson has settled into his likely long-term role: middle-innings reliever who can rack up strikeouts. He was excellent in spring training, with 10 strikeouts against just one walk in 10 Grapefruit League innings, and earned a spot in the big league bullpen.
• July, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: Nelson was a two-way player at Gulf Coast State JC who led the team in both innings pitched and at-bats in his draft season. The Yankees liked Nelson better on the mound and spent a fourthround pick and $350,000 to acquire him and see if they could unlock more by having him focus solely on BA GRADE 50 Risk: Extreme BA GRADE 50 Risk: Extreme BA GRADE 45 Risk: High pitching. His season was delayed by about a month in 2019 with a sore right shoulder but he still racked up an average of 11.4 strikeouts per nine innings over the rest of the season.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Nelson combines a low-to-mid-90s fastball with a potentially above-average changeup he added as a pro and a pair of breaking balls fronted by a downer curveball. He added a slider last season and continued to develop the pitch in 2019.
  
  THE FUTURE: Nelson struggled after a promotion to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and will need to see his offspeed pitches gain more polish in order to achieve his ceiling in the back of a rotation. If that doesn’t happen, he could find himself in a middle-innings relief role. He’ll return to Triple-A in 2020.
• February, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: Nelson was a two-way player at Gulf Coast State JC who led the team in both innings pitched and at-bats in his draft season. The Yankees liked Nelson better on the mound and spent a fourthround pick and $350,000 to acquire him and see if they could unlock more by having him focus solely on pitching. His season was delayed by about a month in 2019 with a sore right shoulder but he still racked up an average of 11.4 strikeouts per nine innings over the rest of the season.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Nelson combines a low-to-mid-90s fastball with a potentially above-average changeup he added as a pro and a pair of breaking balls fronted by a downer curveball. He added a slider last season and continued to develop the pitch in 2019.
  
  THE FUTURE: Nelson struggled after a promotion to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and will need to see his offspeed pitches gain more polish in order to achieve his ceiling in the back of a rotation. If that doesn't happen, he could find himself in a middle-innings relief role. He'll return to Triple-A in 2020.