Nate Griep

Position: RHRP
Level: Double-A
Affiliate: Biloxi Shuckers
League: Southern League
Born: 10/11/1993 (Age: 30)
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 190
B/T: Right / Right
Acquired: 8th Rd., 2015 MLB First-Year Player Draft (MIL)

Prospect Spotlight

The Brewers selected Griep at close-to-slot value in the 8th round of the 2015 MLB Draft after two successful seasons working out of the Kansas State Bulldogs rotation. Griep has converted to relieving as a pro, and he has found success working as closer in each of his three full-season stops with Milwaukee, including in 2018 for Biloxi in Double-A.

Griep is the rare reliever with three MLB quality pitches. His fastball sits 92-to-93 mph with average sink and command. While not a bat-misser, Griep gets plus deception with a head whack and funky delivery that helps the fringy fastball play up a tick, and generate weak contact. Griep’s best second is a mid-80’s changeup that grades as average, and is used predominantly against lefties, although he gets some chase at the offering from aggressive righties. He maintains his arm speed, and the pitch comes in with average fade. It can miss LH bats when it’s in the zone, but advanced hitters spit on it as Griep often runs it off the edge or below the zone where it can’t cause trouble. Griep’s third pitch is a fringe-average, sweepy slider at 84 mph he mixes in vs same-side hitters capable of getting weak contact. Like the changeup, Griep’s slider is limited by his present control.

Griep does not have a sexy repertoire out of the pen capable of blowing hitters away. Instead, he uses deception and a third pitch to elicit weak contact and cross hitters up. Strike-throwing is Griep’s biggest current hurdle, but with three playable pitches, I expect him to find his way into the middle of a big league bullpen, capable of getting hitters from both sides out.