By: Jason Kullman – August 2, 2013

MLB Draft Spotlight: Nick Ciuffo

 

With the MLB First Year Draft completed, baseball fans begin the waiting period to see which high school athletes will go to the farm and which will be heading to campus. While this happens DP is looking back at the maturation of some of South Carolina’s best talent through the eyes of our scouts.

 

Twenty-eight South Carolina ball players were taken in the 2013 MLB draft and the first to come off the board was Lexington’s Nick Ciuffo, who was selected by the Tampa Bay Rays with the 21st  selection overall. Ciuffo is a promising catcher and was the second catcher selected after the Pittsburgh Pirates took Reese McGuire with the 14th overall pick. Nick had signed to play baseball at the University of South Carolina but came to terms with Tampa Bay on June 21, 2013.

 

Ciuffo was such an advanced player that going into his freshman year (at Wando High School, he transferred to Lexington prior to his junior year) he had already committed to USC and, after a viewing during his junior season, DP scout Randy Carlson proclaimed Ciuffo “has a chance to be a rare breed, a catcher that excels both offensively and defensively.” 

 

Our leader here at DP, Austin Alexander, was there for DP’s initial regular season viewing and there was no doubt Ciuffo was the real thing from the beginning. After his first time seeing Ciuffo in March 2010, Alexander noticed a fluid batting approach and a college-level ability to play behind the plate, as Ciuffo recorded a 2.06 seconds pop time to second base when throwing out a runner. Seemingly college ready in March of his freshman year, Ciuffo was just starting his rise to the first round and the top of the 2013 class in South Carolina.

 

DP next viewed Ciuffo about six weeks later during the lower state playoffs versus North Augusta. During the game he showed some maturity by quickly calming down his pitcher after a no-call and went 2-for-2 off an excellent pitcher in Taylor Guerrerri, who Ciuffo listed as the second toughest pitcher he ever faced. DP scout David List proclaimed that “Ciuffo has a bright future” after his first viewing and, like Alexander, noticed Ciuffo’s defensive prowess from the get go.

 

DP was on hand just about one year later to witness Ciuffo in the lower state playoffs first round. While Wando lost, Ciuffo contributed big time anyways. He drove in a run and flashed a sub-2.0 secs pop time to second base, showing good improvement from his time of 2.06 secs from just a year before. As usual, Ciuffo impressed the scouts on hand, leading List to note after the game that “tools and body-wise this young man has it.”

 

After playing his freshman and sophomore years at Wando, Ciuffo transferred to Lexington High School for his junior and senior years. Following two disappointing exits in the playoffs at Wando, Ciuffo was able to help lead Lexington to the 2012 lower state finals and victory in the 2013 AAAA state championship.

 

During his junior year Ciuffo caught a complete-game shutout by Josh Reagan in a win over North Augusta. Less than a month later Will Cheatham got his turn to view Ciuffo against South Aiken.

 

Ciuffo went 3-4 with two RBI’s at the plate, while catching another excellent performance from Reagan as the duo allowed just one run. While facing Reagan (a College of Charleston commit) is tough enough, Cheatham noted that Ciuffo “does nothing but make Reagan tougher to beat.”

 

Catchers with Ciuffo’s dual ability don’t come along often as was noted by Carlson. His ability to bat in the heart of the lineup and play such a demanding position defensively definitely are assets for Cuiffo. Prior to his senior year, Ciuffo was featured in a Player Spotlight (click here to read it) on Diamond Prospects and got to speak about himself.

 

Going into his senior year he was ranked as the number one player in the state by DP and was widely considered one of the top two or three catchers in the country by national scouting agencies. Ciuffo had also been featured on the 16U national team that won a gold medal in Mexico, played in two All-American games and appeared at the East Coast Pro Showcase.    

 

As his senior year wore on, it was evident that Ciuffo’s mere presence was altering other team’s game plans. Intentional walks and a general lack of stealing attempts by opposing teams show Ciuffo’s impact on a game as a two-way weapon. This was no better exemplified than during his May 13 matchup against Blythewood.

 

Ciuffo took an intentional walk and drove in a run in the 5-2 Lexington victory. List was quick to note Ciuffo’s defensive impact on an opponent’s running game as he was “pretty much stopping it altogether.”

 

For his high school baseball finale, Ciuffo led Lexington to a win in the 4A state championship game in 2013. His ability behind the dish to stop would-be passed balls and call a game was just as impactful as his arm-strength and hitting. A defensive and offensive force, Ciuffo will continue to impact games for a long time. As for his immediate future, he will be passing on Columbia and beginning the long, arduous process of climbing the minor league ranks to reach his dream of playing in the majors.