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Aroni Nina

Born: 04/09/1990 (Age: 24)
Bats: Right Throws: Right
Height: 6' 4" Weight: 180
Mechanics
slender, tall build; not a stick figure but slight muscle; stays tall and throws front side through; gets extreme hip and shoulder rotation; and arm comes through fast; longer arm action and arm slot can vary; extreme arm strength; front side can over rotate and arm can come through late making him lose control; well below avg. command profile.
Evaluator CJ Wittmann
Report Date 05/04/2014
Affiliate Wilmington Blue Rocks (High A, Royals)
Dates Seen various times
OFP 55
MLB ETA 2015
Video No
Pitch Type Future Grade Sitting Velocity Peak Velocity Report
FB 60 90-98 98 arm-side life; big downhill plane; explodes out of hand; has some control but little command; saw him 90-92 one outing with slower arm motion; 95-98 another outing, letting it rip.

Nina FB is premium velocity more presently but it plays down due to lack of command. He can be effectively wild at times but struggles to spot it on a consistent basis.
CB 70 79-82 83 wipeout pitch; hard snap; two plane break; hard bite with depth; good 11-5 shape; comes from same arm-slot as FB; flashed plus-plus ability; will throw in zone for strike and as chase pitch.

The pitch itself won't need to improve as it can be plus-plus now but it plays down due to lack of command. If he improves the FB command then the CB will play to its full potential in fear of FB. Presently, hitters can sit on the CB or FB (whichever is being thrown for a strike) and not worry about the other pitch.
Overall

His FB/CB combination is as good as any reliever in the Carolina League. When Nina is sitting 96-98 with life and staying on top of his CB at 80-81, he’s deadly. The command profile is well below avg. but Nina is effectively wild. His arm speed noticeably much faster this outing and he could have been told to tone it down first outing for more command. After that didn’t work, he just let it rip. When everything is in unison, his stuff is electric. Although he is an older guy there is still high risk here because his stuff is electric but he lacks to the command for it to be effective to his full potential. If the command improves and his FB/CB combo plays to 60/70 then he could be a late innings reliever. The upside is there, it's just a matter of whether Nina can achieve it.

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