Nick Tropeano Stats & Scouting Report

IP	241
ERA	4.22
WHIP	1.373
BB/9	3.51
SO/9	7.992

Full name Nicholas Paul Tropeano
Born 08/27/1990 in West Islip, NY
Profile Ht.: 6'4" / Wt.: 205 / Bats: R / Throws: R
School SUNY Stony Brook
Debut 09/10/2014
Drafted in the 5th round (160th overall) by the Houston Astros in 2011 (signed for $155,700).

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Just about everywhere Nick Tropeano has pitched, he has posted gaudy numbers. He was named the top prospect in the Atlantic Collegiate League in 2009, tossed a complete game against Coastal Carolina in NCAA regional play last year and led Cotuit to a Cape Cod League title last summer by pitching seven innings of hitless relief with seven strikeouts in the championship game. He followed all that up with a strong spring as Stony Brook's No. 1 starter, going 12-1, 1.84 during the regular season with 119 strikeouts against 24 walks in 93 innings. Tropeano's statistics are better than his pure stuff, and he uses pitching savvy and competitiveness to get hitters out. His fastball sits at 86-90 mph and touches 92, and he relies heavily on his secondary stuff. He has arguably the best changeup in the college ranks, a plus pitch that he'll throw in any count, and a hard slider. He has worked on a sinker. At 6-foot-4 and 205 pounds, Tropeano has a prototypical pitcher's body and is an innings-eater, but if he doesn't boost his upper-80s fastball he'll need to have above-average command throughout his career to advance. Tropeano should get taken between the fifth and eighth rounds.

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

It cost the Angels backup catcher Hank Conger to acquire a low-risk, back-of-the-rotation starter candidate in Tropeano in a November 2014 trade with the Astros. An ace at Stony Brook, Tropeano capped a solid minor league career by beating the Mariners with five innings of work in his big league debut on Sept. 10. Tropeano lowered his walk rate at Triple-A Oklahoma City while keeping his strikeout rate in line with his career numbers. His fringy fastball plays up because of his innate deception, ranging from 90-92 mph and touching 93 on occasion. His changeup is the separator for Tropeano and is his bread and butter offering. It's a plus pitch that he throws at any time in the count and to both lefties and righties. His 78-81 mph slider is fringe-average, and he needs to get on top of the ball to improve the depth on the pitch. Tropeano's delivery is "not the prettiest," one evaluator said, as the righthander jerks his body toward first base after making a pitch. That might end up pushing him to the bullpen. Tropeano will head to spring training with a chance to earn a spot in the big league rotation, but he has two minor league options remaining and could spend ample time at Triple-A Salt Lake.
Because of an overabundance of starters in the minors, the Astros went to a tandem-starter system at all four of their full-season clubs during the first half of 2013, with pitchers alternating starting and relieving every four days. It worked well for some pitchers, but it didn't seem to suit Tropeano, who seemed to wear down and wasn't as precise without the side sessions that come more regularly in a five-man rotation. His fastball still sits 90-92 mph, better than the 86-90 he worked with in college, but as he tired, Tropeano had a tendency to leave pitches up too often. He has a plus changeup that he throws early and late in the count to both righties and lefties, but he still has work do to stay on top of his fringy slider rather than getting on the side of it. Tropeano still has a chance to be a solid back-end starter, and maybe a little more. He heads to spring training looking to earn a spot at Triple-A Oklahoma City in 2014.
Before the whole world found out about Stony Brook with its trip to the 2012 College World Series, Tropeano served as the team's ace the previous two seasons. The first two-time America East Conference pitcher of the year, he has gone 15-9, 2.85 since signing for $155,700 as a 2011 sixth-round pick. Tropeano's plus changeup has been his out pitch since his amateur days. He throws it with good arm speed, and it features fade and sink. It's even more effective now that he pitches off his fastball more and has added velocity. He worked at 86-90 mph in college but now sits at 90-95 mph, thanks to using his fastball more often and incorporating his lower half better in his delivery. Tropeano also throws a solid split-finger fastball that gets swings and misses when it's on. His slurvy slider remains below-average and he gets on the side of it too often, though he keeps it down in the strike zone. He needs to focus on making it shorter and deeper instead of forcing the spin and getting on the side of the ball. He throws strikes and commands his fastball well. Following a strong stint in the Arizona Fall League, Tropeano is headed for a faster track in 2013. He'll open the season in Double-A and may not be much more than a year away from the majors. He has a ceiling of a No. 3 starter.
Tropeano ranked as the No. 1 prospect in the Atlantic Collegiate League after his freshman year, then helped lead Cotuit to the Cape Cod League championship in 2010 as the ace of the Kettleers' playoff staff. As a junior he led Stony Brook's emerging program to the America East regular-season title and a 42-12 record. Tropeano has honed a consistent formula, commanding his fastball and an excellent changeup that was one of the finest in the 2011 draft and is the best in the system. Tropeano's changeup is so good--he throws it with deceptive arm speed and achieves quality fade--that he pitched off it too much as an amateur, to the detriment of his fastball and slider. After signing for $155,700 as a fifth-round pick last June, he found more fastball velocity simply by throwing the pitch more often. He pitched at 91-94 mph at times last in the short-season New York-Penn League and sat at 88-92 during instructional league. His slider has modest break and remains his third pitch. Tropeano's fastball command and changeup should help him move quickly, and he could reach high Class A in his first full pro season. The development of his slider will determine whether he remains a starter or moves to the bullpen, where he might be a late-inning asset with his dominant changeup.

Best Tools List

Rated Best Changeup in the Houston Astros in 2013
Rated Best Changeup in the South Atlantic League in 2012
Rated Best Changeup in the Houston Astros in 2012

Scouting Reports

Background: Before the whole world found out about Stony Brook with its trip to the 2012 College World Series, Tropeano served as the team's ace the previous two seasons. The first two-time America East Conference pitcher of the year, he has gone 15-9, 2.85 since signing for $155,700 as a 2011 sixth-round pick. Scouting Report: Tropeano's plus changeup has been his out pitch since his amateur days. He throws it with good arm speed, and it features fade and sink. It's even more effective now that he pitches off his fastball more and has added velocity. He worked at 86-90 mph in college but now sits at 90-95 mph, thanks to using his fastball more often and incorporating his lower half better in his delivery. Tropeano also throws a solid split-finger fastball that gets swings and misses when it's on. His slurvy slider remains below-average and he gets on the side of it too often, though he keeps it down in the strike zone. He needs to focus on making it shorter and deeper instead of forcing the spin and getting on the side of the ball. He throws strikes and commands his fastball well. The Future: Following a strong stint in the Arizona Fall League, Tropeano is headed for a faster track in 2013. He'll open the season in Double-A and may not be much more than a year away from the majors. He has a ceiling of a No. 3 starter.