Nicholas
Quintana

8-15-2018: Athletic, mature build at five-foot-ten, 190 pounds. Plays with a big league swagger. Boasts a plus or better arm when he wants to show it and plus bat speed as his top tools. Can also make fielding look easy with dazzling plays at times. Is most adept at making plays in his fielding box. Near average present range with the potential to be an above average defender overall. Bat speed is generated with good hand strength, barrel tilt and weight transfer. Ball jumps off his barrel. Plus to better raw power to his pull side. Upright and slightly open stance in the back of the box. Minimal separation as he carries his hands on his positive move towards the ball instead of keeping them back. Will crush cookies in his happy spot and, when on time, can easily turn around velocity, as he did to a low-90s, middle-in fastball on one of my looks. However, he has plenty of holes with his aggressive approach and in/out bat path. With 44 strikeouts in 131 plate appearances this summer, there is obvious swing/miss to his game. At times, his super aggressive approach got the best of him and his pitch recognition was hindered by too much forward head movement when he drifts. The drift and swing path make him susceptible to the hard stuff inside and off speed away. He must be near perfect with his timing…the more a hitter moves, the better the timing must be. Greater separation could enhance his torque and create even more bat speed. It may also help his success with off speed pitches by keeping his hands back. Regardless of his subpar offensive showing in the Cape, Quintana slugged .471 and .592 his first two seasons at Arizona and has developed a strong reputation with the bat. Recent Arizona Wildcat hitter’s success (Bobby Dalbec, JJ Matijevic, Jared Oliva, Alfonso Rivas) in pro ball should also bolster Quintana’s draft status. Overall, his tools may profile even better behind the plate, but he may not have the special wiring that is needed to wear the tools of ignorance. He remains a likely early round pick in 2019 and could enhance his scouting perception if he focused on becoming more grinder-like on an everyday basis, rather than smooth and cool. (Seifert)

3-5-2018: Sophomore third baseman Nick Quintana showed a plus arm and good actions. He’s short to the ball with power potential, but steps out, gets off balance and struggles with off speed pitches, especially breaking balls and chased the high fastball. (Seifert)