2012 MLB Draft: Reds Select Nick Travieso 14th Overall
Enjoying a little name recognition coupled with some ol’ fashioned “inside information”, the Cincinnati Reds selected right-handed pitcher Nick Travieso with the 14th pick in the 2012 MLB Draft.
Travieso played at Archbishop McCarthy High School in Southwest Ranches, FL, with the son of Reds Director of Latin Scouting, Tony Arias.
No doubt the Reds enjoyed keeping a close eye on Travieso for months. But, regardless of the franchise’s familiarity with Travieso, his upper 90’s fastball, above average breaking ball, and excellent changeup warranted a top-20 selection for Mr. Travieso.
Seedling to Star’s own Robbie Knopf had the Reds taking a strong right-handed pitcher in the first round—although he predicted it’d be Marcus Stroman, of Duke University. Stroman was selected by the Toronto Blue Jays with the 22nd pick. To see more of Robbie’s analysis click here.
The Stuff:
Travieso began his high school career pitching out of the bullpen, however, was moved to the starting rotation this year and quickly became the ace of the staff, propelling Archbishop McCarthy High to their division title with a sub-1.00 ERA.
He stands at 6-2, and weighs in at 215 pounds, eliciting comparisons to stout, power-pitching right-handers like Roger Clemens and San Francisco Giants starter Matt Cain.
Travieso’s father reportedly kept a very close eye on his son’s pitch count, and forbade him from throwing a breaking ball until his junior year in high school (according to a report from Baseball America). Also, his dad didn’t allow him to participate in all of the high school baseball showcases he was eligible for—so Travieso should have plenty of firepower left in the arsenal for years to come.
The Future:
Although Travieso verbally committed to the University of Miami, he openly admitted as soon as he was drafted that he has no intentions of playing college ball, and will sign with Cincinnati right away.
My guess is that he’ll begin with Reds’ rookie team, the Billings Mustangs, of the Pioneer League.
The one thing that concerns me about Travieso is what appears to be an overbearing father. Don’t get me wrong—I’ve never met the man, and he very well could have the humblest intentions. But to see a father have such a close eye on his son’s pitch count and to know he picks and chooses what high school showcases his son participates in is problematic in my eye.
What happens when Travieso has to start a game at one o’clock on a 100-degree afternoon after an 8 hour bus ride down the highway in the middle of the night? His dad won’t be there to monitor the pitch count then.
I’ll predict that Travieso will have a bit of a hard time adjusting to professional baseball, but all in all, Travieso has quite a bit of talent, and if he’s able to buckle down and get used to pro ball in a timely fashion, he’ll slowly climb the ladder in the Reds system.
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