Cole Nelson- 22 year old, 6'7, 235 pound, LHP from Edina, Minnesota. Drafted by Detroit in the 10th round of the 2010 draft out of Auburn. Acquired by Twins in the Delmon Young trade.

 

He had made 5 relief appearances for Ft. Myers last season. He started the year in the bullpen again this season going 1-0 with a 4.96 ERA over 16.1 innings. He had 20K/6BB. His last 4 appearances have been as a starter. He has gone 2-1 with a 2.18 ERA over 20.2 innings with 19K/10BB. The biggest difference has been the opponents batting average. As a reliever he allowed a .303 average compared to a .200 average as a starter. In his 47.1 innings in Ft. Myers he has allowed just 1 home run.

 

Scouts say his fastball sits around 90-91mph topping out around 93. He has a good breaking ball (some scouts say its a curve and others say slider). If he wants to be a starter long term he will have to develop at least one more plus pitch, most likely a change up.

 

http://www.milb.com/images/players/mugshot/ph_571985.jpg

Nice write-up. I haven't been following this kid at all since the trade. Good to see that he's showing signs of life.

I wonder what the rationale was in moving him to the rotation. Perhaps they just wanted to get him more innings, and the success is nominal. He's pitched six innings just once and his stat line is buoyed by a single 9 strikeout no walk 5 inning performance. Still, getting anything other than a headache cure for DY is a win.