Aaron Nola
5-28-13 - Aaron Nola, RHP, LSU -
One of the best control artists in college, Nola also has power behind his
pitches. As a freshman, he had 87 strikeouts over 83.2 innings and walked just
seven. In his second start of his career, he threw 62 out of 78 pitches for strikes
against Tulane. The 6’-1”, 190-pound right-hander has been just as impressive
this year. In his first start against Maryland, he tossed 6.2 shutout innings,
allowing two hits while striking out nine to one walk. Against Brown in his
third start, he went seven scoreless, striking out 11 to no walks, allowing
three hits. Over his 19.2 innings on the season, he has 26 K/4 BB and has
allowed just nine hits. He uses his low-90s sinker to bury hitters and sets up
the pitch with a low-80s change-up with good deception. http://throughthefencebaseball.com/2014-mlb-draft/29840#fm24otWuYCEocLQZ.99
6-1-13 - College Baseball 360 @CB360updates - LSU's Aaron Nola (7IP-5UER-6H-3BB-6K)
pitcher of record when 4R t8 vs. Sam Houston (8-5)...SHSU's Caleb Smith no-dec.
(2.2-4R/3ER-6H-4BB)
6-9-13 - 6.Aaron Nola, RHP (LSU): The righty was
sitting in the low-to-mid 90s consistently in 2013, holding his velocity late
into games. He controls his fastball well, only allowing 17 walks in 109 IP. http://www.minorleaguerundown.com/2013/06/09/2014-mlb-draft-top-30-prospects/
6-9-13 - 16. Colorado Rockies — Aaron Nola, RHP, LSU -
Maybe the best control artist available in the 2014 MLB draft, the 6’-2” right-hander
features a plus, low-90s fastball with nasty sink to it. He offsets his
fastball with a deceptive change-up that freezes hitters. As a freshman, he had
89 K/7 BB over 89.2 innings and 40 of those strikeouts were looking. This
season, he has been lights-out so far. Over 15 starts, he is 11-0 with a 1.82
ERA, 0.85 WHIP and 111 K/17 BB over 109 innings. His size limits his upside,
but you’d be hard pressed to find a better pitcher in the true sense of the
word out there. http://throughthefencebaseball.com/2014-mlb-mock-draft-1-0-no-time-like-the-present/34008#Vj5KQGPZZT1XUyhx.99
6-10-13 - Aaron Nola, RHP,
Louisiana State - Like the other
pitchers on this list, Nola shows very good stuff. His fastball sits 89-93 and touches 94, with
good run. His slider and change are also
good pitches. Nola shows exceptional
command and can throw any pitch on any count. http://bigleaguefutures.net/1/2013/06/10/2014-mlb-draft-early-college-names-to-know/
6/-11-13 - 5. Aaron Nola, RHP, Louisiana State: What's a Draft class
without a top LSU arm? Nola was LSU's Friday starter this year, going 12-0 with
a 1.68 ERA, striking out nearly a batter per inning while holding hitters to a
.187 BAA. http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20130611&content_id=50293726&vkey=news_mlb&c_id=mlb&tcid=tw_article_50293726
16. Colorado Rockies — Aaron Nola, RHP, LSU - Maybe the best control
artist available in the 2014 MLB draft, the 6’-2” right-hander features a plus,
low-90’s fastball with nasty sink to it. He offsets his fastball with a
deceptive change-up that freezes hitters. As a freshman, he had 89 K/7 BB over
89.2 innings and 40 of those strikeouts were looking. This season, he has been
lights-out so far. Over 15 starts, he is 11-0 with a 1.82 ERA, 0.85 WHIP and
111 K/17 BB over 109 innings. His size limits his upside but you’d be hard
pressed to find a better pitcher in the true sense of the word out there. http://beforeitsnews.com/sports/2013/06/2014-mlb-mock-draft-1-0-no-time-like-the-present-2513748.html?currentSplittedPage=2
6-16-13 - Aaron Fitt @aaronfitt - Aaron Nola and Plutko were both fantastic,
as expected. Nola was 87-90 late, had 92 when needed it. He loves that backdoor
breaking ball vs. LHHs.
6-16-13 - College Baseball 360 @CB360updates - Aaron
Nola done for LSU (8 IP–2 unearned runs–5H–BB–HB–5K) ... Nick Rumbelow in ...
all 7 runs allowed by Nola in 2013 NCAAs unearned
6-28-13 - Aaron Nola, RHP, LSU - Nola represents a change from the
hard-throwing pitching prospects like Rodon and Beede with ability to throw
multiple pitches at an average to above-average level and great maturity and
pitchability on the mound. Though Nola's stuff doesn't quite compare to Rodon
or Beede, it's still appealing as a #2 or solid #3 starter in an MLB rotation.
His fastball and curve are his best pitches, both with the potential to be
plus, and mixes in an average changeup. His control is among the best in the
draft, and his fastball has some sink on it. A few things working against Nola;
he's only 6'1'' so he doesn't have the prototypical frame or projection a lot
of teams look for when drafting a pitcher in the top five picks. And though
he's the third best college pitcher right now, pitchers just below him with
better pure stuff like Michael Cederoth and Nick Burdi could overtake Nola if
they dominate their draft-year seasons, much like Jonathan Gray did http://www.crawfishboxes.com/2013/6/28/4450674/the-way-too-early-2014-tcb-astros-draft-board
8-14-13 – Through The Fence – Top 50 Prospects – 20. Aaron Nola, RHP, LSU
- Maybe the best control artist available in the 2014 MLB draft, the 6’-1”
right-hander features a plus, low-90s fastball with nasty sink to it. He offsets
his fastball with a deceptive change-up that freezes hitters. As a freshman, he
had 89 K/7 BB over 89.2 innings and 40 of those strikeouts were looking. He was
lights-out as a sophomore for LSU, going 12-1 over 17 starts with a 1.57 ERA,
0.80 WHIP and 122 K/18 BB over 126 innings. His size limits his upside a bit,
but you’d be hard pressed to find a better pitcher, in the true sense of the
word, out there. http://throughthefencebaseball.com/2014-mlb-draft-top-50-prospects/36463#mwWwsFxSUZy7YC5V.99
9-1-13 - Jim Callis – 10. Aaron Nola, rhp, Louisiana State - With his
solid fastball, plus changeup and impressive pitchability, he’ll move quickly
in pro ball."
9-4-13 – Mack’s Mock Draft v1.0 – 31 – RHP Aaron Nola – LSU – Nola is
considered the top control pitcher in the 2014 draft. As a sophomore, he went
12-1 over 17 starts with a 1.57 ERA, 0.80 WHIP and 122 K/18 BB over 126
innings. Low 90s fastball with nasty sink. Lack of height (6-2) could send him
to the pen.
9-29-13 – XMLBScout – 17.)RHP, Aaron Nola, LSU, 6'1 185, R/R, classic
quick arm and comparisons to Jake Peavy, arm side run and fb that tops 94 on
occ, pitchability and a gamer, commands the strike zone, not real tall but gets
good leverage and sink on his fb, hard slurvy breaking ball that will end up
becoming a slider, also solid straight change that will be a 3rd pitch for him
in pro ball. Early 1-3 round guy for 2014! http://xmlbscout.angelfire.com/
9-30-13 – TTF Mock 2.0 - 23. Texas Rangers — Aaron Nola, RHP, LSU Maybe the best control artist available in
the 2014 MLB draft, the 6’-1” right-hander features a plus, low-90s fastball
with nasty sink to it. He offsets his fastball with a deceptive change-up that
freezes hitters. As a freshman, he had 89 K/7 BB over 89.2 innings and 40 of
those strikeouts were looking. He was lights-out as a sophomore for LSU, going
12-1 over 17 starts with a 1.57 ERA, 0.80 WHIP and 122 K/18 BB over 126
innings. His size limits his upside a bit, but you’d be hard pressed to find a
better pitcher, in the true sense of the word, out there. http://throughthefencebaseball.com/2014-mlb-mock-draft-2-0-draft-order-set/38280#5E3F5j1jWOgE69bJ.99
10-15-13 – Baseball America - 10. Aaron Nola, rhp, Louisiana State:
Smallish, athletic college ace has excellent life on a low-90s fastball and
plus changeup. http://www.baseballamerica.com/college/2014-draft-top-50-october-2013-carlos-rodon/
11-4-13 – MLB Draft Insider - Top 14 for ’14: College Pitchers - 5. Aaron
Nola / RHP / LSU – Nola was one of the best pitchers in the SEC last year,
pounding the strike zone with a low 90′s fastball and above-average secondary
offerings. His arm slot is a major concern from the scouts I’ve talked to,
however. http://mlbdraftinsider.com/2013/11/top-14-for-14-college-pitchers/
11-19-13 - Aaron Nola (RHP) - College: LSU - In short, Nola’s numbers for
LSU in 2013 were absolutely ridiculous. In 17 starts, he had 126 innings
pitched–good for a little over seven and one/third innings per start. His
control was impeccable walking just 18 batters while striking out 122, giving
him an impressive strikeout-to-walk ratio of 6.78. At 6’1″, 183 pounds, Nola
doesn’t have that towering pitcher build that scouts rave about, but as you can
see by the numbers, he doesn’t really need it. He makes up for it by employing
a somewhat deceptive three-quarters motion to provide exception movement on
three above-average pitches. His go-to is his sinker which touches 94 MPH with
both downward and tailing movement. He also has a plus changeup that mimics the
movement of his fastball. Finally, he has an above-average 11-5 breaking ball
which is resembles a slurve more than just a curveball or slider. Baseball
America has him 10th in their latest 2014 draft rankings, so he, like Turner,
will likely be unavailable by the time the Cardinals pick. However, if interested
here is a video of him pitching in the Cape Cod League in 2012. His deceptive
whipping motion is on full display in the video. In my opinion, he has the best
chance of any pitching prospect to make a Michael Wacha-like rise through a
team’s farm system. Let’s hope he doesn’t end up in the National League
Central. http://stlcupofjoe.com/2013/11/19/2014-mlb-draft-five-prospects-to-keep-an-eye-on-part-2/
11-27-13 – Big League Futures Top
25 Poll – 22 Aaron Nola RHP Louisiana State http://bigleaguefutures.net/1/2013/11/26/mlb-draft-top-25-prospects-poll/
12-9-13 – Pine Tar Press - 14- RHP Aaron Nola LSU 6/4/93- He is the
younger brother of former LSU SS Austin. Aaron dominated his sophomore year
winning 12 games with a 1.57 E.R.A and 122 K. He projects as a solid mid
rotation guy who commands 3 pitches well. He is a type of arm that I could see
fly thru a system as he is about as finished of a product of anyone in this
class.(Diamondbacks @ 16) http://pinetarpress.com/early
-look-2014-mlb-draft/
1-3-14 – TTF Baseball - 15. Los Angeles Angels — Aaron Nola, RHP, LSU -
Few can match the kind of control Nola possesses. The 6’-1” right-hander
features a plus, low-90s fastball with nasty sink to it. He offsets his
fastball with a deceptive change-up that freezes hitters. As a freshman, he had
89 K/7 BB over 89.2 innings and 40 of those strikeouts were looking. He was
lights-out as a sophomore for LSU, going 12-1 over 17 starts with a 1.57 ERA,
0.80 WHIP and 122 K/18 BB over 126 innings. His size limits his upside a bit,
and he isn’t a power arm, but not many can toss a game like he can. http://throughthefencebaseball.com/2014-mlb-draft-2/40753#ppGUqI6CbWFvzsPf.99
1-20-14 – PG Preseason College All-Americans – Starting Pitcher - Aaron
Nola, Louisiana State - 2013 Stats: 1.57 ERA, 126 IP, 122 K, 18 BB, .188 OPP
BA] - The Tigers had one of the nation’s best teams and rotations last season,
and it should be much of the same this spring with Nola and lefthanded pitcher
Cody Glenn leading the charge. Nola, a 6-foot-1, 183-pounder, is Mr. Command
out on the mound, as evidenced by his incredibly low walk total from last
season. From a stuff standpoint, Nola has a fastball that typically sits in the
low-90s. However, he can get up to 94 at times. Meanwhile, his curveball sits
in the upper-70s, along with a low-80s changeup. http://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/View.aspx?article=9294
2-5-14
- Aaron Nola, RHP, LSU - While he may not have the upside as others on this
list, and he may not have the ideal size you want in a frontline starter at
6’-1” and 185 pounds, not many can toss a game like Nola. A pinpoint control
artist, he went 12-1 with a 1.57 ERA, 0.80 WHIP and 122 K/18 BB over 126
innings as a sophomore. As a freshman, he had 89 K/7 BB over 89.2 innings and
40 of those strikeouts were looking. He features a plus, low-90s fastball with
nasty sink to it. He offsets his fastball with a deceptive change-up that
freezes hitters. He also adds a 77-80 mph curveball with depth that flashes
plus potential. His three-pitch mix, great command of all of them, and
mentality on the mound, make him one of the better pitchers in the 2014 MLB draft
and a safe pick if there is such a thing. http://throughthefencebaseball.com/2014-mlb-draft-dark-horse-candidates-chicago-cubs-first-pick/41075#UeYBipV5rOuYd7xE.99
