Seedlings to Stars Highlights Nick Hagadone

One of the many Indians prospects to make their debuts this season was Nick Hagadone. The 25-year-old left-hander pitched 11 innings out of the bullpen for the Tribe, posting a 4.09 ERA (3.78 SIERA) with 11 strikeouts and 6 walks in his first taste of big-league action.

Earlier this week, Seedlings to Stars‘ Nathaniel Stolz featured Nick Hagadone as part of his “The Stuff That Dreams Are Made Of” series. In projecting his development going forward, Stolz notes his frequent use of his fastball and his usual location of up in the zone:

"Since it’s rather straight and often up, I wouldn’t be surprised if Hagadone has some trouble with homers in the next couple of years, and his location could mean that he struggles with walks to some degree; however, he should get good whiff rates and his flyball tendencies will suppress his BABIP."

Hagadone came to the Cleveland organization in the Victor Martinez trade of 2009. At the time, he was a starting pitcher (the Indians moved him to the bullpen last year) and was seen as the highest-ceiling member of a package that also included the Tribe’s current ace, Justin Masterson, and Bryan Price, who has spent the last two years with Double-A Akron.

Hagadone was the 55th overall pick in the 2007 amateur draft. He posted a 2.86 ERA and a 10.3 K/9 rate in his minor-league career, and Baseball America ranked him the Tribe’s third-best prospect (No. 44 in baseball) before the 2010 season.

For more on Hagadone, check out Stolz’ profile on him at Seedlings to Stars.