Meet a Prospect: Nick Ernst

With their 15^th round pick, 457^th overall, in the 2018 MLB First Year Players Draft the New York Yankees selected Nick Ernst, a right-handed starting pitcher out of Miami University in Ohio. It will be a while before we see Ernst on the mound at any of the Yankees affiliates as this season the right-hander tore his UCL, resulting in Tommy John surgery, but let’s meet him regardless. This is Meet a Prospect: The Nick Ernst Edition.

Now I know what you’re thinking, the Yankees drafted yet another college experienced right-handed starting pitcher for their upper levels of their farm system. Yes and no. As I alluded to earlier Ernst tore his UCL and has already undergone Tommy John surgery to repair the ligament, a surgery that will force him to miss the 2018 season and likely most of the 2019 season. When healthy Ernst is not the type of pitcher the Yankees have drafted recently in previous drafts. Ernst is a huge frame standing 6’3” and weighing in at 195 lbs. but that is where the similarities begin and end. Ernst is not a guy throwing in the high 90 MPH range and he is not going to be a pitcher that strikes out nearly 10 batters per nine innings either. Instead Ernst sits around 92 MPH with the ability to touch 94 MPH with a devastating slider that he uses as his out pitch. 

Here is what CollegeBaseballCentral.com had to say about Ernst: 

 “MOST TEAMS WOULD STRUGGLE AFTER LOSING THEIR FRIDAY NIGHT STARTER TWO WEEKS INTO THE SEASON. NOT ONLY DOES THAT MEAN YOU’VE LOST WHAT IS TYPICALLY THE BEST STARTING PITCHER ON THE ROSTER, BUT IT ALSO MEANS THAT EVERYONE ELSE ON THE STAFF HAS TO SLIDE DOWN A SPOT, WHICH HURTS YOUR DEPTH.

MIAMI (25-15, 11-7) WAS IN THAT POSITION AFTER THE SECOND WEEKEND OF THE SEASON, WHEN NICK ERNST WENT DOWN WITH A TORN UCL. THAT WAS AFTER, MIND YOU, ERNST BEGAN HIS SEASON BY THROWING SIX INNINGS AGAINST ARIZONA STATE, GIVING UP JUST FOUR HITS AND ONE RUN WITH NO WALKS AND SIX STRIKEOUTS IN A 4-2 WIN THAT GAVE THE REDHAWKS THEIR FIRST OPENING DAY WIN SINCE 2007.”

“NICK ERNST LOOKED LIKE HE WAS ON HIS WAY TO A BREAKOUT JUNIOR SEASON AS HE SHUT DOWN ARIZONA STATE IN MIAMI’S SEASON OPENER, BUT HE LEFT HIS NEXT START WITH AN ELBOW INJURY THAT REQUIRED TOMMY JOHN SURGERY. ERNST COULD HEAD BACK TO THE REDHAWKS FOR HIS SENIOR SEASON, BUT HE COULD STILL BE DRAFTED BY A TEAM INTRIGUED BY HIS 90-94 MPH FASTBALL AND PROMISING SLIDER.”

Nick has already signed with the team since the draft so welcome to the Yankees organization, and welcome to the Yankees family as well. You can follow Nick on Twitter by following @NickyE123.