The Blue Jays spent the 80th overall pick on Justin Nicolino.
Follow the jump for his pre-draft profile.
Justin Nicolino Position: LHP School: University HS State: FL Height: 6’3’’ Weight: 160
Birth Date: 11/22/91 Seiler Rating: 2C2 Commitment: Virginia
Justin Nicolino is a skinny left-handed starting pitcher from University High School in Orlando, Florida, the same school that produced 2007 supplemental first round pick Jon Bachanov. Nicolino isn’t as widely-regarded as Bachanov was, but he’s a solid prospect with a chance to jump straight into the pro game if that’s his wish. He has a good amount of projectability remaining, as he’s just now starting to pack on his adult weight, and he’s tall enough to think of him as a future impact starter. At the moment, though, he still qualifies as the smooth lefty with average stuff, and some scouts are turned off by his lack of development over the past few years, as he’s been well-known for quite some time. However, he projects as a potential number three starter for most teams, and that sort of value is hard to find from the left side, especially in this particular prep class. His fastball now is an average 89-91 mph pitch that has touched 93, and some scouts project him to eventually sit 91-94, touching 95-96 when he needs some extra juice. That’s a lot of projecting being done, but it does happen. His breaking ball is an average curveball, but he throws a potential above-average to plus changeup, making him a solid pitcher now and projection pick, as well. He has the type of stuff that could step into a key role as a freshman in college, and his Virginia scholarship is considered pretty tough. He has a chance to go as high as the second round, but he fits better in rounds three to five, where he might need a little extra money to sign.