Phillies Promote SP Prospect Nick Pivetta to Lehigh Valley
Nick Pivetta is the sixth ranked pitching prospect in the Phillies system
Nick Pivetta is moving up in the Phillies farm system just over a year after being acquired for closer Jonathan Papelbon.
The right-hander was 11-6 with the Reading Fightin’ Phillies with a 3.41 ERA in 22 games. He is slated to pitch Saturday night for Lehigh Valley after being scratched from his start in Altoona.
MLB.com ranks Pivetta the 18th best prospect in the Phillies minor league system, and the sixth-best pitcher still playing in the minors.
Here’s the scouting report provided by MLB.com on Pivetta:
"Pivetta has plenty of fastball, sitting in the low-90s and regularly reaching 95-96 mph, and when he’s right, he uses his frame to throw effectively downhill. Pivetta also flashes an above-average breaking ball — he’s thrown both a slider and curve, but they tend to run into each other. He didn’t execute it consistently at the end of the year, but did so more frequently in 2016. He mixes in a fringy changeup as well. His command, well below-average for his time in Double-A, both before and after the trade, also improved this season.The Phillies like Pivetta’s size and his arm, even if it eventually ends up in a bullpen. Bouncing back from his post-trade performance has more believing he has what it takes to stick as a starter."
Ironically, Papelbon requested a release from the Washington Nationals Saturday, the same day the player the Phillies acquired for him was called up to Triple-A.
The Phillies major league pitching rotation has been bit by the injury bug this month, as Aaron Nola, Zach Eflin, and Jeremy Hellickson have dealt with injuries. While Hellickson is expected to return from a back injury, Nola and Eflin are most-likely done for the season.
With no starter officially named for Sundays matinee, the Phillies will call-up either David Buchanan or Adam Morgan to make the start against the Rockies. Pivetta will be taking one of their spots in the Iron Pigs rotation.
It’s unlikely Pivetta see’s any playing time with the Phillies in 2016, but if he pitches well in Lehigh Valley and the injuries continue to pile on in September when rosters expand, it won’t be completely ruled out.