Milwaukee Brewers OF Nic Pierre Scouting Report, March 2018

Completely overmatched by good fastballs in first at-bat of my very first look this spring, then returned for second and third at-bats with specific adjustments that allowed him to immediately put the barrel on the ball against big league pitching in intrasquad scrimmage. Started earlier, got his front foot down in time, and got his hands to a load position with ability to fire off quicker to the ball; different look after completely overmatched first at-bat. Adjustments a good sign of some maturity and poise at the plate; decent barrel skills with some feel for manipulation and generally pretty consistent contact profile. Produces a lot of weak contact without much leverage or natural physical strength, though, but can occasionally drive the ball gap to gap when timed up.

Very little over-the-fence pop; significantly more gap-to-gap power in his profile, combined with enough speed for doubles and triples that should be the majority of his future contribution to power. Weaker hands and wrists don’t always allow him to take full advantage of barrel feel. Doesn’t always get fully extended out or finished high all the way through, even on ‘A’ swings, sapping some of his raw power. Some definite physical projection remaining in his body to perhaps bump power profile a bit, but tough to imagine Nic Pierre completely re-making his offensive role at this point four years into his pro career.

Serviceable, unremarkable glove in the outfield; played left in my looks and probably fits best there without exceptional arm for right field; fringy speed that could play in center, perhaps. Moves well back on the ball to both sides; tracks the ball fine off the bat. Will work fine in an everyday role in left and should be sufficient enough in stints in center too, albeit slightly too slow to ideally play the position every day.

Below-average arm strength from the outfield; carry is fine, accuracy is good; not a ton of arm-side life or run on the ball to account for — just not a ton of velocity and power behind his throws in from the outfield. Ideally fits best in left to that end; probably enough arm strength to play center, as well. Not quite as ideal for right field in any sustained role.

Timed 4.30 up the line from the RHH box; 4.74 on the turn at first; 8.19 from home to second; and 12.20 from home to third on a legged-out triple. Decent runner; good top speed once he gets going with long, leggy strides, but lacks that ideal, quick first step of a true sprinter. Stolen bases historically not a big part of his game; speed will better manifest itself as he strides out to top speed running down balls in the outfield. Moves well back to the outfield wall, both to the corner and the gap; athletic runner in the outfield who gets good jumps on the ball and tracks well.

Listed at 6’3″, 170 lbs.; will turn 22 years old in November; 2018 will mark his fifth year in professional baseball after the first four seasons were split between several rookie/short-season levels. Good degree of physical projection left in his lean frame; should fill out a bit more between now and more final physical form in a couple years. High time for full-season success after nearly 750 short-season PAs.

Left field/center field platoon or utility option at ceiling; more realistic future as an up-and-down organizational depth option, and definite risk that he’ll stall out before he ever reaches The Show. Defensive tools should play enough at highest level with some growth and development, but plenty of questions ahead with his bat. After four straight short-season/rookie level years under his belt, 2018 will be a big show-me year for Nic Pierre to transition into full-season ball. Still a shot to move consistently and reach Milwaukee for a competitive window as a big league contributor, but not much margin for error, particularly with the bat and especially considering better fit as a left fielder than in center. Ultimately, the deck is somewhat stacked against Nic Pierre and he needs to produce quickly in full-season ball, but there’s enough athleticism and physical upside here to keep an eye on him for the next couple seasons. MLB ETA: 2021.