The goal of any prospect is to become a Major Leaguer, and, as each player sets out to reach that goal they face tremendous odds.

Prospects have to be talented, tough, resilient, super confident, and possess the ability to adjust, many times, in a moments notice.

Nick Frasso, a flame throwing right handed pitcher in the Dodgers organization, is all of the above, and so much more.  

Diehard Dodger

Frasso became a Dodger last August, of 2022, in a trade with Moises Brito, that sent Mitch White and Alex DeJesus to the Bluejays. Mitch White has MLB service time, so to trade him for two guys that don’t, just shows how highly the Dodgers value the young Frasso who was the headliner of the trade. 

So let’s start there, with Frasso’s incredible upside, and let’s wind our way backwards through what is going to be at least part of his journey. 

Frasso grew up in Rancho Palos Verdes California, where as a kid, he could do a little of everything. His family is full of high level athletes and understood the value of finding your own joy in competition and being allowed to pave your own path.

Frasso was given freedom to explore multiple sports and amongst the many things that a typical SoCal boy might find to do, he found basketball and baseball as two things that he was very good at and that he enjoyed. On the hardwood he was known for his shooting prowess, his 6’5 length and his athletic ability that was put on display every time he would dunk.

Baseball was something he was obviously very good at as well, and it’s something that he decided to dedicate himself to after some great instruction and direction from his High School Coach, Brian Bowles. 

Bowles was drafted by the Toronto Bluejays in 1994, so he knows what a potential professional looks like, and he also understands professional training. Having seen Frasso’s potential, he made it clear to Frasso that he had the chance to have a huge future in the game of baseball, at the MLB level, and, wow, was he right! 

LMU Lion

Frasso took his coaches advice and decided to further his career at the Collegiate level, and, after touring the Campus of Loyola Marymount, and going to one of their camps, decided to become a Lion.

To this point in his career he had been a multi-sport athlete, so College was going to be the first time he was going to get to dedicate himself full time to baseball. With a 6’5 frame, athletic ability enough to dunk and a thunderous right arm, the sky was the limit. 

As a senior in High School I went and toured their (Loyola Marymount’s) campus and loved it. It was right next to the beach, and I went to a camp there and they offered and I committed. 

On his experience as a Lion

I really enjoyed my time there. It’s a great school, great campus and I really enjoyed playing baseball there as well, and it was an awesome experience overall. 

Frasso spent 3 great years as a Lion, pitched in some huge games and posted an ERA of just 2.80 in his 3 year career. He also had 158 strikeouts in 125.1 innings, pitched in the Cape Cod League and threw 4 shutout innings against Cuba for the Team USA collegiate team.

Frasso was gaining high level experience, showing that he could compete with the elite, and was on a track that was full steam ahead. 

That is, until it wasn’t!

In 2020, his last year in College, Frasso experienced elbow pain that, not knowing at the time, would end his college career. He was set to come back and start pitching again for the Lions, but Covid canceled the season, then he got drafted later that Summer, and that was that. 

Bluejays

Frasso loved his time at LMU, but every young players dream is to get drafted, and when it’s in the 4th Round, that’s too good of an offer to turn down. Getting drafted and starting a professional career is one of the most exciting periods in any players career, but it was a period of excitement in Frasso’s career that was cut short due to injury. 

Frasso’s elbow problems flared up again which led to UCL repair surgery, a setback that put a delay on the beginning of his pro career.

I mean, yeah, it’s tough, and it’s not exactly how you want to start your professional career in the training room for your first year doing rehab, because it’s a grind, and you want to be out there on the field with your friends. 

Although the UCL surgery was a setback, it was also temporary, however, so the young and motivated Palos Verdes native got to work on the road to recovery.

Frasso put in long hours in the training room and a grueling amount of work during his rehab, and it payed off. He came back stronger than ever, and, in fact, in his first outing back, hit 100 miles per hour multiple times.

Undoubtedly, his return was exciting and gave him a shot of adrenaline that he used to throw flames to home plate. 

It was super cool! That day back was special for me in general because it had been so long with Covid, then the year after Covid I was in rehab pretty much the whole year. So it had been almost 2 years away from baseball, so that first game back I had so much adrenaline and so much excitement to be back on the field, it really got me amped up, and I was able to hit 100 a few times.

Frasso was back, better than ever, and was ready to settle into some normalcy and routine. But, just as things were settling down, they got crazy again when he was traded with Moises Brito for Mitch White and Alex DeJesus in August of 2022. Here’s what he had to say about that process.

It’s always kind of weird getting traded, because you’re with one org., and you have your team, but then you get called into the office and told you’ve been traded, and that’s how quick it happens. 

Frasso continued to talk about the process of being traded.

You just have to pack up your stuff and hop on a flight, so it’s a crazy experience overall. Obviously, growing up in the L.A. area and being traded to the Dodgers was pretty sweet, and my family is stoked. I grew up a Dodgers fan, so it was awesome for me, but at the same time, I made a lot of friends with the Bluejays, so it was a little sad leaving those guys. But I’m definitely happy where I’m at.  

Prospect Feature

Frasso finished last year in Tulsa, then started this year in AA as well, and has been a big part of what was, to start the year, the best pitching staff in the Minor leagues. He is in the line of the flame throwing power arms that the Dodgers love having reached 100 miles per hour multiple times.

He pairs his big 4 Seam fastball with a left turning slider and a tumbling changeup. He averages 12 Ks per 9 innings, and less than a 1/2 a homerun per 9, so he’s able to use the top of the zone without getting hurt at an excess.

4 Seam Fastball 

As with all of the Dodgers power pitchers, Frasso builds his arsenal around his fastball, and specifically the way he is able to ride the top of the zone with it to get a lot of swing and miss. He also gets great extension, so, while he has reached 100 mph on more than one occasion, his fastball looks even faster than that to a hitter because he is so close to home plate when he delivers the ball. To see how his 4 seam fastball plays at the top of the zone, click here or on the picture to the left. 

After Frasso separates, and when he is in full extension, as in the picture on the right, his body is actually pointed to the 3rd base side and behind a right handed hitter. So, when he throws the ball to the 4 slot, which is the glove-side corner, it really comes across to hitters as a crossfire and is very uncomfortable. Click here or on the picture on the right to watch how uncomfortable it would be to hit his 4 slot fastball. 

Frasso is 6’5, and gets down the mound quite a bit in his stride, so when he throws low, the pitch has a long ways to go from his hand all the way down to the bottom of the zone. So, he gets a lot of vertical drop, which makes it very difficult to hit.

Also, with his length, and the amount of drop, for it to stay a strike, it’s clear he gets great carry. That means that, instead of continuing to drop out of the zone, because his fastball has such good spin rate, it stays flat enough to stay in the strike zone. To watch his fastball carry the bottom of the zone, click here, or on the picture on the left. 

Changeup

Frasso’s changeup is a very good pitch for several reasons, the main being how hard he throws. Because he throws so hard, hitters have to load up early, and, then, when he throws a changeup, it’s very difficult to stay back because it looks just like his fastball until it starts tumbling. By that time, it’s too late to do damage to the pitch. To watch how his changeup plays, click here or on the picture to the right. 

Slider

Frasso has a very late breaking, tight, what you might describe as a “nasty” slider. He can tunnel it off of his 4 slot fastball, or he can start it off the plate arm side, then let it break back over the plate for a strike.

Then, also, in a plus count, he can add depth to the pitch, make it look like a strike, but tumble it out of the zone for swing and miss. To watch how Frasso uses his slider, click here or on the picture on the left. 

MLB Very Soon

Frasso had the elbow injury to start his career, and has fought some shoulder issues this year, and that’s likely why he is still in AA, because his stuff is already MLB ready. His fastball is explosive, his slider is good, and his changeup is very deceptive. 

There is a reason he is such a highly rated prospect, and, also a reason why you would have to look long and hard to find someone who doesn’t think he is going to have a long and successful MLB career, injury not withstanding, knock on wood. 

He has a loose, happy go lucky aura to him, but then, at the same time, an extremely high energy competitive spirit to match, which makes for a great mentality in big moments. His future is big and the MLB part of it is close. 

In closing, I would like to thank Nick for joining Dodgers Daily. These guys are pulled in a million different directions, so I am always so very appreciative when they choose to spend some of their time for an interview. Nick has a huge future ahead and one that Dodgers Daily will be rooting for all along the way. 

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