Dodgers: Examining the Future for Nick Frasso, LA Pitching Prospect
Signs that the Dodgers plan to look to the future player wise is becoming more apparent by the day. We know that top prospects like Miguel Vargas, James Outman, and Ryan Pepiot will continue to play big roles for LA this upcoming season but who else is on the radar down on the farm?
Over at Baseball Prospectus, the talent experts examined the Dodgers' system in an in-depth article that's worth a read. One name that fans might not be as familiar with is a pitcher by the name of Nick Frasso.
The right-hander was acquired by the Dodgers last summer in the trade that sent Mitch White to the Toronto Blue Jays. Drafted in the fourth round of the 2020 draft, the 23-year-old out of Torrance, California, finally got into his first real action as a pro in 2022.
Frasso worked his way up to double-A last season, making 16 starts total for the Jays and Dodgers. For his career, he holds a 1.68 ERA across 59.0 innings pitched.
The guys at Baseball Prospectus broke down the hurler, painting the picture of a guy that could potentially help at the big league level sooner rather than later.
Not content with just developing their own Trackman-friendly arms, the Dodgers clearly targeted Frasso in the Mitch White/Alex de Jesus deal with the Jays. Frasso didn’t pitch much in 2022 for either org—he was used very carefully coming off 2021 elbow surgery—but is yet another Dodgers pitching prospect with high-octane stuff.
While his innings were limited, even with the small sample size there was clearly enough talent to warrant some attention. Enough to compare him to another Dodgers prospect who is expected to do big things this season.
Like (Gavin) Stone, he was mostly a reliever in college, so there may be further gains to come if he can stay healthy and stick as a starter in 2023. That could make him one of the best pitching prospects in baseball this time next year. Or it just might make him the Dodgers eighth-inning guy by August.
Frasso is currently ranked as the No. 8 prospect (18 on MLB.com's list) and surely will continue to be a top prospect if he keeps up his level of play. In a farm system like the Dodgers, there is plenty of reason to believe fans will hear about Frasso very soon.
