Nick Howard Stats & Scouting Report

IP	269
ERA	5.286
WHIP	1.781
BB/9	7.294
SO/9	7.963

Full name Nick Paul Howard
Born 04/06/1993 in Stamford, CT
Profile Ht.: 6'4" / Wt.: 215 / Bats: R / Throws: R
School Virginia
Drafted in the 1st round (19th overall) by the Cincinnati Reds in 2014 (signed for $1,990,500).

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Howard had a strenuous sophomore season, getting more than 200 plate appearances as a third baseman and sometime shortstop while logging 61 innings as one of Virginia's starters. The 6-foot-4, 215-pounder also started in the Cape Cod League last summer, though the quality of his stuff was down. That has not been the case this spring after the Cavaliers have moved him to a relief role, where Howard has developed into an aggressive strike-throwing machine with power stuff and malicious intent. He was averaging 16.6 strikeouts per nine innings and had allowed just 18 baserunners through 23 innings. He pitches aggressively off a fastball that ranges from 93-96 mph and touches higher. Howard's curveball comes and goes, at times showing power and 12-to-6 shape, but he doesn't always throw it with conviction. He also throws a slider and changeup at times, all the while employing Virginia's trademark delivery that starts with bent knees. Howard's four-pitch mix and athleticism give him a chance to start, but he could zip to the majors as a reliever.

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Howard was a two-way star at Virginia, playing shortstop and third base and serving as a starting pitcher his first two years. He slid to closer and DH as a junior as he set a single-season Atlantic Coast Conference record with 20 saves. The Reds believed that Howard was a good fit as a starting pitcher with an athletic delivery and a chance for three plus pitches: a 92-97 mph fastball, a 12-to-6 curveball and a 82-84 mph slider with depth along with a below-average changeup. But all of that fell apart in 2015 as Howard, the 19th overall pick in 2014, lost the strike zone. He was forced to dial back his velocity to guide the ball when he wasn't missing the zone badly, and he had outings where he was incapable of throwing strikes. Eventually, the Reds shut down Howard in July with a minor shoulder problem, but the down time was as much to give him a mental break. He returned to action briefly in instructional league, throwing a successful pair of innings to give him something positive to take into the offseason. If Howard can get through this mental block, he has premium stuff, but at this point, it's impossible to predict what direction his career will take.
Howard flourished as a two-way star at Virginia. As a sophomore, he was the Cavaliers' third baseman and played some shortstop in addition to pitching in the weekend rotation. He moved to the bullpen as a junior, setting an Atlantic Coast Conference single-season record with 20 saves, while also serving as DH on a Virginia club that lost in the College World Series final when he gave up a game-winning homer to Vanderbilt's John Norwood. He signed for $1,990,500 as the 19th overall pick. Much like they had done with Michael Lorenzen, the Reds drafted Howard with the intention of moving him to the rotation. Howard sits at 92-95 mph as a starter and pairs his plus fastball with a pair of breaking balls. His high-70s curveball is the more developed of the two, with its 12-to-6 break, while his slider is harder at 82-84 mph with some tilt and depth. Both project as at least average pitches. Howard's changeup is the least advanced, but it has some deception and he shows some feel. It could be at least a fringe-average pitch. His simple, low-effort delivery combined with his athleticism should help him to develop big league average control, but he did struggled to hit his spots at low Class A Dayton. Howard is more advanced than Lorenzen at a similar stage. He'll head to Double-A Pensacola in 2015, and if he handles that assignment, a late-2016 arrival in Cincinnati isn't unreasonable.

Draft Prospects

Howard had a strenuous sophomore season, getting more than 200 plate appearances as a third baseman and sometime shortstop while logging 61 innings as one of Virginia's starters. The 6-foot-4, 215-pounder also started in the Cape Cod League last summer, though the quality of his stuff was down. That has not been the case this spring after the Cavaliers have moved him to a relief role, where Howard has developed into an aggressive strike-throwing machine with power stuff and malicious intent. He was averaging 16.6 strikeouts per nine innings and had allowed just 18 baserunners through 23 innings. He pitches aggressively off a fastball that ranges from 93-96 mph and touches higher. Howard's curveball comes and goes, at times showing power and 12-to-6 shape, but he doesn't always throw it with conviction. He also throws a slider and changeup at times, all the while employing Virginia's trademark delivery that starts with bent knees. Howard's four-pitch mix and athleticism give him a chance to start, but he could zip to the majors as a reliever.