Skip to main content

Dominant BlueClaws All-Star Nick Fanti has focused, humble approach

Nick Fanti, image- Jay Floyd
Lefty hurler Nick Fanti will represent the Phillies organization as the Northern Division's starting pitcher in the South Atlantic League All-Star Game on Tuesday night. 

Through 11 games with the Class A Lakewood BlueClaws this year, the 20-year-old has tallied a 5-0 record and a 2.25 ERA with a .182 batting average against while striking out 65 and walking 16 in 64 innings of work. 

Fanti, who pitched with Team Italy in this year's World Baseball Classic, grabbed headlines in May when he tossed 8 2/3 hitless innings for Lakewood on the road at Columbia.  His room mate Trevor Bettencourt would log the final out to seal the no-hitter. 

The six-foot-two 185-pound Fanti will return to the Spirit Communication Park mound in Columbia for the Sally League All-Star Game. 

Last year in the rookie level Gulf Coast League, he garnered plenty of attention, sporting a 7-0 record with a 1.57 ERA and a .191 batting average against in 11 appearances.

His skipper, former big leaguer Marty Malloy, feels Fanti is deserving of all the accolades he has gotten.

"He's been unbelievable," Malloy stated in the Lakewood home dugout last week.  "The command of the strike zone has been very good.  Mixed his pitches well and he has an idea.  He's another young kid that, probably pitching wise, he's above his years and how he handles hitters in certain situations, so he's done a really nice job."

Fanti doesn't overpower hitters, slinging a fastball that regularly ranges 87-89 MPH with a change up that features a fair variance in velocity from the heater (around 80).  But, his curveball is described as nasty and leaves the opposition looking foolish, as it's difficult to pick up, looking much like his fastball to batters out of his hand.

Brazen and fearless, the Long Island native virtually dares batters to hit his pitches whenever he takes the mound.

"I want to make the guys behind me work," Fanti explained, describing his desire for the opposition to try and hit what he offers.  "I prefer them to hit earlier in the count than later, but that's why I attack the zone, because I have trust in the people behind me and I'll be able to go deeper in the games if they make contact earlier, so getting ahead with early strikes is definitely very important to me."

The youngster dishes out credit to the team surrounding him for his success, including the no-hitter, asserting that the defense and some luck helped things go his way.

With a relaxed and focused approach, Fanti is self-driven.  His 31st round draft position from 2015 is not a factor when looking for motivators on the diamond.

"Regardless of where you got picked, you've still got to come in here and play.  Not that I feel like I have anything to prove or anything-- I do, but I feel like anybody should, no matter where you were drafted," Fanti stated.

On the Northern Division All-Star roster, he'll be joined by five BlueClaws teammates with Bettencourt earning a nod along with battery mate Edgar Cabral and pitchers Will Hibbs, JoJo Romero and Ranger Suarez also being honored.

Fanti values the opportunity to show what BlueClaws and the Phillies are all about.

"It's really cool.  It's a real honor to be able to pitch with the best guys in this league and, hopefully, I'll he throwing to Cabral in the beginning of the game and I'm just excited for the experience."

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Lidge Shaky, T-Mac Honored in Trenton

TRENTON, NJ- Brad Lidge made his second rehab appearance for the Double A Reading Phillies on Thursday night and it didn't go as well as the veteran reliever or the team had hoped. Lidge struggled with his command and turned in a rather poor outing for the club that entered the night in a playoff race, 1 game behind division rival Trenton for the Wild Card spot in the Eastern Division. On the disabled list since spring training with a strained right rotator cuff, Lidge experienced an elbow strain when he was working back from that issue in late May. In his outing against the Yankees affiliate in Trenton, Lidge displayed difficulty with his control as he threw three wild pitches, hit two batters, walked another and gave up a single, all while letting up two earned runs on 28 pitches in 2/3 of an inning. After the disappointing performance, Lidge was composed and focused on some positive aspects, having reached 89 and 90 MPH on scouts' radar guns, according to some reports. ...

Q&A with Tim Gradoville

Tim Gradoville is a career minor league catcher, who once, as a September call up, was up with the big club for the proverbial cup of coffee. Slated to be the Phillies bullpen catcher, at a later date, Gradoville is currently assigned as a special instructor with the Lakewood BlueClaws. I had the opportunity to speak with Tim and here's how that went down... What's the atmosphere with the BlueClaws like so far this season? Well, I think we have a good mix of players. We have some veteran guys, and some young guys too, so it makes for an interesting mix. I think the guys like to have a good time, and they're pretty loose and that translates into winning games. They have a good time. With a young team, you never know what you're gonna get, sometimes, but they seem to gel pretty well together, so that helps to build team unity, helps guys get along. They're having fun, they're enjoying baseball. This game can be a grind sometimes, if you're not having fun. What...

Mike McGuire Living a Dream With Favorite Team

LAKEWOOD, NJ- Every young ballplayer grows up wishing he could play for his favorite team. Mike McGuire has an opportunity to do just that after signing with the Phillies organization in July. McGuire was a 43rd round draft pick taken by the Cleveland Indians in the 2008 amateur draft out of the University of Delaware. Early scouting reports liked McGuire's abilities, despite some arm trouble. He advanced as far as High A Level Kinston last season. While there, he posted an 0-3 record with a 5.46 ERA in 9 games, 8 of which were starts. The Indians weren't happy with McGuire's efforts this spring and released him. McGuire caught on with the Sussex Skyhawks of the independent Can-Am League, where he stayed in shape and pitched against other formerly affiliated minor leaguers. As a starter with the Skyhawks, McGuire went 3-4 with a 5.29 ERA in 8 outings. From there, just as all players in those independent leagues hope for, the 24-year-old McGuire got noticed. The Phillies wer...