Nick Nastrini

When rotation depth is never a major issue, as is seemingly the case with the Dodgers, it makes sense to acquire guys with excellent stuff and questionable command and hope that they improve their strike-throwing enough to start. Nastrini is such a pitcher, as he had a 32:7 K:BB in 14 innings after getting drafted in 2021 and a 169:55 K:BB in 116.2 innings this past season. A 6-foot-3, 215-pound righty who turns 23 in February, Nastrini has never had a strikeout rate below 34.9% or a walk rate below 10.7%. His mid-90s fastball is a plus pitch, and his secondaries all get plenty of whiffs, the issue is just landing them for strikes enough to keep hitters honest. Opposing batters have hit .176 against Nastrini in the pros, so he doesn't need to have an excellent walk rate, he just needs to be in the 9-to-10 percent range. Given the Dodgers' depth and the fact that he doesn't need to be added to the 40-man roster until after the 2024 season, Nastrini should get another full year in the minors to work on his command and control. Read Past Outlooks