RHP Nick Bitsko, Central Bucks East HS [PA]
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DoB: 6/16/2002. Commitment: Virginia
Nick Bitsko was originally a member of the 2021 draft class, though with an early birthday that made him older than the vast majority of high school juniors, he reclassified to a senior this year and is now relatively young for the class. Ironically, he was following another UVA recruit, Nate Savino, who was originally eligible for the 2020 draft but who instead went to campus in Charlottesville for the spring semester. That immediately puts Bitsko into the top tier of high school arms in the country, joining Jared Kelley and Mick Abel in the trio that has separated themselves from the pack. In the opinion of most scouts as well as my own, Kelley and Abel are probably a bit ahead of Bitsko, but they're also eight and ten months older than him, respectively, with a longer history in front of scouts.
Just by watching him pitch, you would have no idea that Bitsko reclassified and was supposed to be a junior. He sits in the low to mid 90's with a fastball that seems to jump on hitters, and that heat comes without a ton of effort, either. He also adds a true plus curve with both power and shape, which might the best breaking ball in the high school class. His third pitch is a changeup, which he doesn't use much yet but which rounds out his arsenal well and should only get better in time. He has advanced command for a high school pitcher that makes all of his pitches play up, and together it makes him look like a pro pitcher already.
Bitkso stands 6'4" and is already physically developed with a durable frame, giving him every chance to handle a starter's workload. Right now, he's nearly as good a pitcher as Kelley and better than Abel, though his upside is just a bit more limited because he is pretty much what he is. That also gives him a higher floor, as he's already brimming with starter's traits and knows who he is as a pitcher. Only Kelley can match his combination of power, stuff, and pitchability, and at just 17 years old, he has plenty of time to refine his ability and emerge a #2 or #3 starter. Draft-wise, signability was already going to be a question and the current situation compounds that further, but he is talented enough to go right in the middle of the first round and flirt with the top ten. Given the circumstances of being a cold weather arm who a) hadn't been seen as much over the summer because he was a member of the 2021 class at the time and b) didn't get much of a chance to throw outside in Philadelphia this spring before the season shut down, he'll probably go a bit lower if he is indeed signable. With a UVA commitment in hand, there is a really good chance he joins Savino in Charlottesville.
Game footage
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