Brewers MLB Draft Prospect Profile: RHP Nick Bitsko

The MLB Draft is getting closer and closer and our coverage preparing you Milwaukee Brewers fans for potential first round picks continues.

As you’ve probably noticed if you’ve read some of our other draft prospect profiles, we’ve talked about high school right-handers being the riskiest demographic in the MLB Draft. The Milwaukee Brewers haven’t drafted one in the first round since 2010 and haven’t signed one from the first round since 2006.

That makes the case of Nick Bitsko all the more interesting.

Nick Bitsko, RHP, Central Bucks East (PA) HS

Bitsko is ranked as the No. 14 overall prospect in the Draft by MLB Pipeline and he’s one of the top high school pitchers in his class. He’s also one of the youngest in the draft, not turning 18 until a week after the draft concludes.

Despite his youth, scouts have seen Bitsko for years, and they have a good book on him already. Standing at 6’4″ and 225 pounds, he has the size you want to see in a potential starting pitcher and has the stuff to play with it.

His fastball sits in the mid-90s, occasionally reaching the upper 90s, with a plus-curveball to boot. Bitsko also has a solid changeup, although he hasn’t had to use it as much in high school since he’s been dominating with just his two other pitches.

Unlike a lot of high school pitchers, Bitsko already has good command of all his pitches and can throw them consistently for strikes.

With a strong three pitch mix, plus command, and good size, Bitsko has everything you look for in a pitching prospect.

Because Bitsko is from Pennsylvania, his high school season was not able to start this year before the pandemic arrived, so he hasn’t thrown a pitch in a game all spring. That could make many teams uncomfortable with selecting him in the first round.

As Will Sammon of The Athletic reported, the Brewers feel they have been ahead of the curve on video scouting and are more than prepared for whatever happens heading into the draft. With high school prospects that missed their spring seasons especially, that video scouting is important. In a normal year, Bitsko is likely selected way before the Brewers are on the clock at No. 20 overall. Since he did not have a spring season, there’s a good chance Bitsko falls down the board a little bit.

Should Bitsko fall to No. 20, there’s a chance the Brewers would feel comfortable rolling the dice on him. The risk is there, as it is with any high school pitcher, but the potential upside with Bitsko is tremendous. He has a very high ceiling, but at just 17 years old, he has a long way to go to get to the big leagues.

The MLB Draft is just a few days away, and this draft is just as unpredictable as ever.