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In the 8th Round of the 2016 MLB Draft, the Houston Astros selected Nick Hernandez. He's a RHP from the University of Houston and is a local product from Missouri City, TX. He pitched his first two seasons at Alvin Community College before heading to U of H.
8 (247): @astros select Houston RHP Nick Hernandez. https://t.co/bBVpLHvT09 #MLBDraft
— MLB Draft Tracker (@MLBDraftTracker) June 10, 2016
Despite being a newcomer to the Cougar team, he served as the primary closer and picked up 11 of the teams 15 saves. He was a dominant reliever in the AAC with a 1.40 ERA in 51 1/3 innings. The impressive stat is that he posted a 11.57 SO/9 with just a 1.93 BB/9. He also allowed just two home runs all season and a 4.73 H/9. So, he missed bats. Stayed int the zone. But, he also kept hitters off the bases. Very impressive season.
Anthony's "Very Luhnow" list ranked him as the 51st "Most Luhnow-y" prospect in the draft and the 26th best pitcher.
There's definitely some effort in his delivery and his action appears a little inconsistent based on the one clip below (only three pitches). The fastball stays straight but looks like it has good vertical movement because it just does seem to ever sink. It just appears to rise up.