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Diamondbacks to promote RHP prospect Ryne Nelson
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The Diamondbacks will be calling up one of their top pitching prospects, with Ryne Nelson set to make his first MLB start Monday night against the San Diego Padres. Nelson, 24, was drafted by the D-backs in the 2nd round of the 2019 MLB Draft out of the University of Oregon. He currently ranks 9th on our list of the organization's Top 10 prospects.
The D-backs' September schedule features a stretch of 21 games in 21 days, all against National League West opponents with a doubleheader against the Los Angeles Dodgers on the 20th. Bringing up Nelson not only allows them to evaluate one of their arms that will need to be added to the 40-man roster this winter, but also gives the current starters an extra day of rest this week.
Nelson was drafted due to his vertical fastball movement profile, which the front office heavily values, and wipeout slider despite mixed results at Oregon as both a starter and reliever. Although he lost a year of development in 2020, Nelson successfully made the transition from college reliever to starter in the 2021 season. He pitched 116.1 innings between High-A Hillsboro and AA Amarillo, going 7-4 with a 3.17 ERA and a 163/40 strikeout to walk ratio.
This year, Nelson has a 5.43 ERA in 136 innings. His strikeout to walk ratio is 128/47 in 26 starts with AAA Reno. His run prevention has improved throughout the season, posting three straight months with an ERA below 5.00. Reno is a particularly tough environment to pitch in due to the high elevation and swirling winds. This stretch of solid run prevention is likely why the team decided to bring him up.
Nelson relies heavily on a 4-seam fastball, throwing the pitch roughly 65% of the time. The pitch sits low-90s and tops out at 97 MPH with a vertical movement profile to generate whiffs at the top of the zone. His top secondary pitch is a mid-80s slider that he uses to entice hitters to chase out of the zone. He also mixes in a curveball to steal strikes early in counts and a rare changeup that's a distant 4th pitch compared to the rest of his repertoire.
Nelson will have a chance to show he can stick as a starter with an audition to close out 2022. If that doesn't work out, his fastball/slider combination could play up in shorter bursts out of the bullpen.
The Diamondbacks announced a couple of corresponding roster moves, recalling infielder Yonny Hernandez and placing him on the 60-Day Injured List with a strained left calf and optioned reliever Luis Frias to AAA Reno.
