Biographical

Portrait of Nick Pivetta

Nick Pivetta P  

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2019 Projections (Preseason PECOTA - seasonal age 26)
IP ERA WHIP SO W L SV WARP
85.7 3.40 1.21 99 6 4 0 1.4
Birth Date2-14-1993
Height6' 5"
Weight214 lbs
Age31 years, 2 months, 10 days
BatsR
ThrowsR
2015
2016
1.42017
3.62018
1.42019
proj
WARP Summary

MLB Statistics

Historical (past-seasons) WARP is now based on DRA..
cFIP and DRA are not available on a by-team basis and display as zeroes(0). See TOT line for season totals of these stats.
Multiple stints are are currently shown —Click to hide.
YEAR Team Lg G GS IP W L SV H BB SO HR PPF H/9 BB/9 HR/9 K/9 GB% BABIP WHIP FIP ERA cFIP DRA DRA- WARP
2017 PHI MLB 26 26 133.0 8 10 0 144 57 140 25 96 9.7 3.9 1.7 9.5 45% .332 1.51 4.89 6.02 104 4.66 99.2 1.4
2018 PHI MLB 33 32 164.0 7 14 0 163 51 188 24 98 8.9 2.8 1.3 10.3 50% .327 1.30 3.75 4.77 86 3.40 76.0 3.6
2019 PHI MLB 30 13 93.7 4 6 1 103 39 89 20 101 9.9 3.7 1.9 8.6 45% .309 1.52 5.42 5.38 105 5.07 104.0 0.6
CareerMLB8971390.71930141014741769989.43.41.69.647%.3241.434.545.34974.2390.65.6

Statistics for All Levels

'opp' stats - Quality of opponents faced - have been moved and are available only as OPP_QUAL in the Statistics reports now.
Minor league stats are currently shown —Click to hide.
YEAR Team Lg LG G GS IP W L SV H BB SO HR PPF H/9 BB/9 HR/9 K/9 GB% BABIP WHIP FIP ERA cFIP DRA DRA-
2013 AUB A- NYP 5 5 21.3 0 1 0 19 11 17 1 106 8.0 4.6 0.4 7.2 0% .281 1.41 3.79 3.38 123 5.21 113.1
2013 NAT Rk GCL 4 3 12.7 1 0 0 11 2 8 0 103 7.8 1.4 0.0 5.7 0% .282 1.03 2.66 2.13 95 3.32 72.1
2014 HAG A SAL 26 25 132.3 13 8 0 142 39 98 15 104 9.7 2.7 1.0 6.7 0% .309 1.37 4.59 4.22 109 4.96 105.0
2015 POT A+ CAR 15 14 86.3 7 4 0 70 29 72 4 97 7.3 3.0 0.4 7.5 0% .274 1.15 3.26 2.29 98 3.97 87.2
2015 HAR AA EAS 3 3 15.0 0 2 0 19 9 6 4 87 11.4 5.4 2.4 3.6 0% .294 1.87 7.73 7.20 144 6.52 142.9
2015 REA AA EAS 7 7 28.3 2 2 0 32 19 25 4 103 10.2 6.0 1.3 7.9 0% .342 1.80 5.67 7.31 139 6.77 148.5
2016 REA AA EAS 22 22 124.0 11 6 0 108 41 111 10 116 7.8 3.0 0.7 8.1 45% .283 1.20 3.75 3.41 93 3.53 77.9
2016 LEH AAA INT 5 5 24.7 1 2 0 20 10 27 2 100 7.3 3.6 0.7 9.9 48% .300 1.22 3.49 2.55 95 3.78 83.5
2017 PHI MLB NL 26 26 133.0 8 10 0 144 57 140 25 96 9.7 3.9 1.7 9.5 45% .332 1.51 4.89 6.02 104 4.66 99.2
2017 LEH AAA INT 5 5 32.0 5 0 0 25 2 37 1 103 7.0 0.6 0.3 10.4 40% .293 0.84 1.71 1.41 63 2.03 43.3
2018 PHI MLB NL 33 32 164.0 7 14 0 163 51 188 24 98 8.9 2.8 1.3 10.3 50% .327 1.30 3.75 4.77 86 3.40 76.0
2019 PHI MLB NL 30 13 93.7 4 6 1 103 39 89 20 101 9.9 3.7 1.9 8.6 45% .309 1.52 5.42 5.38 105 5.07 104.0
2019 LEH AAA INT 9 6 41.0 5 1 0 23 22 58 2 97 5.0 4.8 0.4 12.7 52% .253 1.10 3.11 3.07 75 1.99 40.9

Plate Discipline

YEAR Pits Zone% Swing% Contact% Z-Swing% O-Swing% Z-Contact% O-Contact% SwStr%
2017 2428 0.5194 0.4539 0.7768 0.6217 0.2725 0.8418 0.6164 0.2232
2018 2827 0.5005 0.4747 0.7228 0.6382 0.3109 0.7962 0.5718 0.2772
2019 1616 0.5019 0.4511 0.7503 0.6215 0.2795 0.8095 0.6178 0.2497
Career68710.50750.46180.74830.62840.28990.81540.59840.2517

Injury History  —  No longer being updated

Last Update: 12/31/2014 23:59 ET

Date On Date Off Transaction Days Games Side Body Part Injury Severity Surgery Date Reaggravation
2014-05-21 2014-06-03 Minors 13 0 - Not Disclosed - -

Compensation

Year Team Salary
2023 BOS $5,350,000
2022 BOS $2,650,000
2021 BOS $613,500
2020 PHI $588,000
2019 PHI $598,000
2018 PHI $551,000
2017 PHI $
YearsDescriptionSalary
6 yrPrevious$10,350,500
6 yrTotal$10,350,500

 

Service TimeAgentContract Status
4 y 166 d1 year/$5.35M (2023)

Details
  • 1 year/$5.35M (2023). Re-signed by Boston 1/13/23 (avoided arbitration).
  • 1 year/$2.65M (2022). Re-signed by Boston 3/22/22 (avoided arbitration).
  • 1 year/$613,500 (2021). Re-signed by Boston 3/21.
  • 1 year/$588,000 (2020). Re-signed by Philadelphia 3/20. Acquired by Boston in trade from Philadelphia 8/21/20.
  • 1 year/$598,000 (2019). Re-signed by Philadelphia 3/19.
  • 1 year/$551,000 (2018). Re-signed by Philadelphia 3/18.
  • 1 year (2017). Contract selected by Philadelphia 11/18/16. Re-signed by Philadelphia 3/17.
  • Acquired by Philadelphia in trade from Washington 7/28/15.
  • Drafted by Washington 2013 (4-136) (New Mexico JC). $364,300 signing bonus (slot amount).

2019 Preseason Forecast

Last Update: 1/27/2017 12:35 ET

PCT W L SV G GS IP H BB SO HR BABIP WHIP ERA DRA VORP WARP
90o 0 0 0 0 0 11.1 8 3 13 1 .265 1.00 2.15 2.49 0.0 0.0
80o 0 0 0 0 0 7.2 5 2 8 1 .276 1.06 2.44 2.81 0.0 0.0
70o 0 0 0 0 0 4.5 3 1 5 0 .285 1.10 2.65 3.05 0.0 0.0
60o 0 0 0 0 0 2.2 2 1 3 0 .291 1.14 2.82 3.25 0.0 0.0
50o 0 0 0 0 0 0.1 0 0 0 0 .298 1.17 2.99 3.44 0.0 0.0
Weighted Mean?????0.0?00?.0000.000.00?0.00.0

Preseason Long-Term Forecast (Beyond the 2019 Projections)

Playing time estimates are based on performance, not Depth Charts.
Year Age W L SV G GS IP H BB SO HR GB% BABIP WHIP ERA DRA H/9 BB/9 K/9 HR/9 WARP
202027121003333214167632512145.3051.073.103.487.02.610.50.93.9
20212811903131194152572282145.3041.083.203.597.12.610.61.03.4
20222910902929175138522051945.3051.093.293.697.12.710.51.03.0
2023309702525145117441671645.3101.113.303.707.32.710.41.02.6
20243110802727166133491901845.3071.103.293.697.22.710.31.02.9
202532870222212796381471345.2931.063.253.656.82.710.40.92.3
2026338702222131102381531445.3021.073.293.697.02.610.51.02.3
202734760212112398371401445.3051.103.373.787.22.710.31.02.1
202835760191911188331281245.3041.093.333.747.22.710.41.01.9

Comparable Players (Similarity Index 78)

Rank Score Name Year Run Average Trend
1 91 Felipe Paulino 2010 6.19
2 88 Boof Bonser 2008 6.62
3 87 Justin Grimm 2015 3.26
4 86 James Shields 2008 3.93
5 86 Taylor Buchholz 2008 3.12
6 85 Angel Guzman 2008 5.59
7 85 Ian Snell 2008 5.86
8 84 Bud Norris 2011 4.50
9 84 Roenis Elias 2015 4.45
10 83 Shaun Marcum 2008 3.57
11 83 Yusmeiro Petit 2011 0.00 DNP
12 83 Juan Nicasio 2013 5.54
13 82 Buck Farmer 2017 7.13
14 82 Jordan Zimmermann 2012 3.17
15 82 Gavin Floyd 2009 4.34
16 82 Jason Hammel 2009 4.79
17 81 Billy Buckner 2010 11.77
18 81 Marc Rzepczynski 2012 4.24
19 80 Carlos Carrasco 2013 6.94
20 80 Rubby De La Rosa 2015 4.91
21 80 Matthew Boyd 2017 5.60
22 80 Trevor May 2016 5.48
23 80 Brandon Workman 2015 0.00 DNP
24 80 Anthony DeSclafani 2016 3.72
25 79 Collin Balester 2012 7.00
26 79 Liam Hendriks 2015 3.20
27 79 C.J. Wilson 2007 3.42
28 79 Will Smith 2016 4.02
29 78 Vance Worley 2014 3.50
30 78 Ricky Nolasco 2009 5.40
31 78 Wade LeBlanc 2011 4.74
32 78 Jo-Jo Reyes 2011 6.33
33 77 Scott Baker 2008 3.45
34 77 Vince Velasquez 2018 5.09
35 77 Luke Hochevar 2010 5.33
36 77 Drew Hutchison 2017 0.00 DNP
37 77 Robbie Erlin 2017 0.00 DNP
38 77 Edgar Gonzalez 2009 5.51
39 77 Mike Foltynewicz 2018 3.20
40 77 Tyler Clippard 2011 1.83
41 77 Ramon Ramirez 2008 2.89
42 77 John Ely 2012 20.25
43 77 Chad Bettis 2015 4.38
44 77 Joe Wieland 2016 10.80
45 76 Randall Delgado 2016 4.80
46 76 Fernando Nieve 2009 3.19
47 76 Zach Stewart 2013 0.00 DNP
48 76 Felix Doubront 2014 6.10
49 76 Hayden Penn 2011 0.00 DNP
50 76 Kyle McPherson 2014 0.00 DNP
51 76 Marco Gonzales 2018 4.10
52 76 Cory Mazzoni 2016 0.00 DNP
53 76 John Lamb 2017 0.00 DNP
54 76 Jon Niese 2013 4.28
55 76 Dan Straily 2015 5.94
56 76 Tyler Duffey 2017 5.32
57 76 Jimmy Gobble 2008 8.53
58 76 Tony Cingrani 2016 4.29
59 76 Kevin Hart 2009 6.11
60 76 Steven Shell 2009 5.40
61 75 Sergio Mitre 2007 5.32
62 75 Mike Minor 2014 4.77
63 75 Kris Medlen 2012 1.70
64 75 Dan Haren 2007 3.68
65 75 Marco Estrada 2010 10.32
66 75 Garrett Mock 2009 6.41
67 75 Glen Perkins 2009 5.98
68 75 Tommy Milone 2013 4.78
69 75 Billy Traber 2006 6.85
70 75 Justin Germano 2009 0.00 DNP
71 75 Anthony Bass 2014 6.67
72 75 Jae Kuk Ryu 2009 0.00 DNP
73 75 Raisel Iglesias 2016 2.53
74 75 Chad Green 2017 1.83
75 74 Danny Salazar 2016 4.00
76 74 Lance Lynn 2013 4.11
77 74 Pat Misch 2008 5.85
78 74 Hector Noesi 2013 7.24
79 74 Robbie Ray 2018 4.00
80 74 Zach McAllister 2014 5.65
81 74 Jake Odorizzi 2016 3.84
82 74 Ricky Romero 2011 3.40
83 74 Kevin Correia 2007 3.54
84 74 Tyler Lyons 2014 5.65
85 74 Mark Lowe 2009 4.39
86 74 Mario Hollands 2015 0.00 DNP
87 74 Patrick Corbin 2016 6.30
88 73 Aaron Brooks 2016 0.00 DNP
89 73 Jeff Francis 2007 4.30
90 73 Bobby Parnell 2011 4.40
91 73 Jameson Taillon 2018 3.25
92 73 Bryan Augenstein 2013 0.00 DNP
93 73 Nick Tepesch 2015 0.00 DNP
94 73 Hansel Robles 2017 4.92
95 73 Jeff Manship 2011 8.10
96 73 Christian Friedrich 2014 7.77
97 73 Andrew Good 2006 0.00 DNP
98 73 Jason Bergmann 2008 6.06
99 73 Shane Greene 2015 7.21
100 73 Ross Ohlendorf 2009 4.08

BP Annual Player Comments

YearComment
2019  Due to publishing agreements, the 2019 player comments and team essays are only available in the Baseball Prospectus 2019 book (available in hardcopy, and soon e-book and Kindle).
2018 Hitters who specialize in the Three True Outcomes, like Joey Gallo, can be tremendous fun to watch. Starting pitchers who do so, like Pivetta, are almost always tremendously frustrating. At times, his 2017 felt like an experiment to see how bad a pitcher with a legitimately great fastball can be. It's a true swing-and-miss pitch with strong velocity and movement, and when he locates it, you could even think it might be enough. Except he can't locate it much of the time, and he desperately needs better secondary offerings. The slider has shown promise but not consistency, and he has tinkered with both a curve and change. The easy prediction is that he'll end up as a fastball/slider 'pen guy, and that 2017 line is why most guys with this profile end up there before pitching close to a full major-league season. But someone has to make 30 starts, and Pivetta may have shown just enough to get another shot at the rotation, as aesthetically displeasing as it might be.
2017 Pivetta isn’t quite as highly regarded as some of the Phillies’ minor league arms, but still has the potential to crack the team’s rotation eventually. A repeat trip to Double-A in 2016 saw better results, most notably with improved feel for and command of his fastball. Pivetta needs a third pitch to make it in the majors as a starter; otherwise it is likely that he will get locked into a bullpen role. It is too early for Philadelphia to make that call, so he will start 2017 in a minor league rotation, either at Reading or Lehigh Valley.
2016 Velocity: Everybody's got to have it. The Mets made the World Series on the back of an endless supply of starters who threw everything hard; the Royals had a similar story, but with relievers. Successful major-league pitching seasons in this era of baseball are often built on high-velocity arms, and the finer the control on a particular version of 97 mph gas, the better. Pivetta, acquired from the Nationals in the Jonathan Papelbon Trojan Horse, has the big arm and big fastball numbers to one day hack it in the bigs, but command questions temper any expectations beyond that. He throws two fastballs and two breaking balls, plus a changeup, but currently the only plus thing about any of those is the heater velocity. If three of those five can somehow find their way to becoming even average overall pitches, Pivetta's chances of sticking as a starter increase dramatically. Failing that, the bullpen seems the spot. It's still too early to call, and that volatility makes Pivetta equal parts intriguing and worrisome.

BP Articles

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BP Chats

DateQuestionAnswer
2021-03-26 13:00:00 (link to chat)16-tm league. Is Nick Pivetta worth rostering? Thanks.
(Jokoy from Montreal)		I would only roster Pivetta in a 20+-team league (or a smaller league with similar total depth). I have no faith in him. It is worth noting that Bret picked Pivetta up as a reserve in Tout Wars Mixed (15-team league). Some still believe! (Jesse Roche)
2021-01-15 12:00:00 (link to chat)Of these prospects, who is most likely to get significant MLB playing time in 2021? Jarren Duran, Kyle Isbel, Jeter Downs, or Luis Barrera. Thanks.
(Old timer from Raleigh)		Royals seem to be the most willing to play the prospects. I expect once you manipulate Nick Pivetta's service time, you will do the same with Downs and Durran. Barrera doesn't really strike me as a starter once he's up, but it's the A's so who knows. (Jeffrey Paternostro)
2019-08-21 13:00:00 (link to chat)Will Nick Pivetta ever be a thing? He was so hyped coming into this year.
(Johnny from Philly)		Not unless his control tightens up. His fastball generates a ton of fly balls and doesn't miss many bats, and that four-seamer has just gotten annihilated this year. The HR/FB percentage is north of 30%. The new ball has killed him, as it has many fringy starters who rely on a high fastball that generates fly balls. (JP Breen)
2019-04-12 16:00:00 (link to chat)Hey Darius! Fantasy question for a 14 team mixed keeper league. I am thinking about making a trade where I let go of a closer to upgrade my rotation. Do you have any ideas for buy low mid level starters? Im thinking of flipping matt barnes/ryan brasier (i have both) or blake parker. Thanks!
(Rashislop from Brooklyn)		Someone like J.A. Happ is probably about the right level of target based on a slow start, if the owner is desperate for saves. You could gamble on an injured-but-good-when-healthy type like Rich Hill. If you are a Nick Pivetta believer, there's always him. I think he's probably the latest Pineda who teases us with great peripherals and the occasional gem and never develops the consistency, but it's not like Blake Parker is Blake Treinen. (Darius Austin)
2018-04-27 12:00:00 (link to chat)Good to have a guy with Mets prospect insight. What are you hearing about the emergence of Peter Alonso and any chance they may give him a look later this year?
(Shane from Miami)		Peter Alonso questions have replaced Nick Pivetta questions in the queue this week. I'll get Bingo in a couple weeks and have more concrete thoughts, but I do have a few reports from this year already. To take the second part first, I think it's more likely they give Bruce a first base mitt or Flores the bulk of the playing time before going to Alonso, unless it's late and they are out of it. They'd also probably have to jump him over Vegas, which whatever, but it'd be a pretty significant jump for a player that still has his struggles against soft stuff. It's a rough profile as a R/R 1B that is below-average defensively, but the offensive tools are loud enough he could be like a 55 regular. Something like righty Lucas Duda is a common comp I here. (Jeffrey Paternostro)
2018-04-27 12:00:00 (link to chat)Is Nick Pivetta for real?
(Rip Van Weedkle from Hoboville)		Not to say we don't have any Nick Pivetta questions, mind you. I think the consensus between me and 2018 Nick Pivetta BP Annual comment author Jarrett Seidler, is that it's unlikely he maintains the low HR and BB rates, and it's tough living as a two-pitch righty starter long term. Raw stuff has improved though. (Jeffrey Paternostro)
2018-04-20 12:00:00 (link to chat)Thoughts on Nick Pivetta?
(Leonard Cohen from Hell)		See above. (Jeffrey Paternostro)
2018-04-20 12:00:00 (link to chat)Any thoughts on the following guys who've got off to rough starts in the minors this year: Bauers, Bobby Bradley, Neuse, Isan Diaz, Hiura? On the MLB side - do you believe in Pivetta's improved start to the season?
(Fessi's back from SWFC)		I think it's a bit too early to move guys around, up or down. It's literally two weeks of baseball. I won't even kill Rodgers this early, as I wrote about today, and I personally saw him look incredibly rough. I think it's especially true of hitters. Pitchers you can see the regression or jump in the stuff earlier, see Peter Lambert going from 89-92 to 92-94.

Also, I know I essentially host a Phillies podcast now, but man you guys have a lot of Nick Pivetta questions. (Jeffrey Paternostro)
2018-04-20 12:00:00 (link to chat)Snell an ace?
(Kevin from With Jesse in the basement)		Eh, at least it isn't a Nick Pivetta question.

I would urge similar caution, but he always had TOR potential. (Jeffrey Paternostro)
2018-04-13 12:00:00 (link to chat)What have you seen from Nick Pivetta that can be predictive about his outlook? Everyone seems to focus on his lack of command.
(dylanrox from Denver)		Well, to be fair his command was execrable in 2017, and it was an issue as a prospect as well. Now I like to talk about how you can't just predict command jumps for guys, but when it happens to that kind of prospect, the results can be spectacular. But I also need to see it for way longer than two starts. (Jeffrey Paternostro)
2017-08-17 13:00:00 (link to chat)which of these pitchers do you feel will be a factor in a starting rotation for the long run. How would you rate them? Nick Pivetta, Phi SP,Austin Pruitt, TB Brandon Woodruff,Mark Leiter Jr., Phi. thank you for all your time you put into these news letters, question and answers. OB1
(OB1 from Tampa)		I must confess that I just don't know Leiter very well. I would rank the other three: Pivetta, Woodruff, Pruitt. Wish the Rays would stop teaching guys such momentum-stopping timing mechanisms. Pruitt looks like a man feeling the water in the hot tub before climbing in on every pitch, and I think it hurts more than it helps. (Matthew Trueblood)
2015-04-22 14:00:00 (link to chat)CJ, great job on the reports lately, you and the BP team (besides Craig) have been crushing it. Few questions- 1) Are you going to make a cameo at the BP Milwaukee event? 2) Can you talk Nick Pivetta and Wilmer Difo? I think you saw them both in action this week. Thanks. #MortBlood
(NatsGM from THE NatsGM Studios)		I think this is a good question to open with. Craig will be out at games shortly and the Milwaukee event? I doubt it unless I can get a flight in. I will have reports in on Pivetta and Difo tonight so I think you will see that soon. Short version, Nick Pivetta: backend starter and Wilmer Difo: role 6 SS at peak. (CJ Wittmann)
2014-09-10 12:00:00 (link to chat)Are the Nationals one of the more underrated farm systems? Besides having the best pitcher in the minors, they seem to have a lot of toolsy, high-upside type of guys. And they have Reynaldo Lopez.
(Shawn from Cubicle)		I think they are, partially because I was able to watch Hagerstown all season.

3 impact arms in Gioltio, Lopez, Cole
Nick Pivetta and Jake Johansen have ability
Rafael Bautista, Wilmer Difo, Drew Ward

It's a nice group, and that was basically only Hagerstown. Pedro Severino is a solid defense-first C for Potomac, and they still have a few guys like Brian Goodwin, Matt Skole, etc that could potentially provide impact. (Tucker Blair)


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PITCHf/x Pitcher Profile

A Collaboration between BrooksBaseball.net and Baseball Prospectus - Pitch classifications provided by Pitch Info LLC


Nick Pivetta has thrown 16,184 pitches that have been tracked by the PITCHf/x system between 2017 and 2024, all of them occuring in Spring Training. In 2024, he has relied primarily on his Slider (85mph) and Fourseam Fastball (94mph), also mixing in a Curve (80mph).