By: Matt Present and Jon Lewis

Ht: 6’1″        Wt: 218        Year: JR
Hometown (HS): Monmouth Beach, NJ (Red Bank Catholic HS)

2016 Stats

GP: 23     IP: 19.1    ERA: 5.59      K/9: 10.7       BB/9: 5.1    H/9: 12.1

Mike Rescigno was a power-hitting 3B and closer for one of New Jersey’s Shore Conference perennial powers: Red Bank Catholic.  Originally arriving to College Park as a two-way guy, Rescigno saw most of his time in 2014 as a 1B/ DH against left-handed pitchers.  While, he had a respectable freshman campaign with the stick (.241 BA), the coaching staff became fully committed to making Rescigno a full-time reliever post-2014.

Rescigno was a bit buried in his first season as a full-time relief pitcher with the immense depth the 2015 pitching staff had (see: Ryan Selmer), but after seeing his relief outing against Towson University at Ripken Stadium late in the 2015 season, it was clear to see this kid had a future on the hill.  He topped at 93 mph that day, with a very tight over-the-top curveball.  That two-pitch mix screamed a formidable high-leverage option as 2016 approached.

In the summer of 2015, Rescigno pitched for the Bethesda Big Train program in the Cal Ripken Collegiate Baseball League (CRCBL), and his stats were every bit dominant.  He pitched to a 1.68 ERA, with a 0.875 WHIP, allowing a paltry 0.25 H/9, and dominant 9.56 K/9.  With a summer this strong, Rescigno was primed to take on a larger role in the Maryland bullpen.

Arsenal: Fastball (91-94 mph), curveball

Pros: Good velocity, strikeout pitcher

Cons: Not a lot of movement, high opponents batting average

Present: Rescigno is the type of pitcher scouts get their radar gun out for. While he isn’t a big guy, he is able to get a lot of zip on his fastball, and his big breaking curveball makes him a guy who can get a lot of strikeouts out of the bullpen. While Rescigno can be dominant at times when he mixes his pitches well, the lack of movement on his fastball puts a premium on location. If he leaves the ball out over the plate he’s going to get hit hard, and his walk numbers are a little higher than he’d like. Bottom line, the life on his fastball is enough for a team to take a chance on him in the mid-late rounds.

Lewis: Rescigno’s 2016 numbers were not pretty and do not reflect the type of talent Rescigno truly has.  His 10.7 K/9, however, is a statistic scouts love to see from a late-inning relief type, and validate the type of stuff Rescigno possesses. Rescigno is a well-built 6’1’’ RHP with a very repeatable delivery; he flashes over-the-top arm action with a fastball that peaks at 94 MPH and customarily sits between 92-93 mph, with a power curveball that flashes 12-6 type of action.  A team that likes what they saw from Rescigno last summer, and doesn’t take much stock into his 2016 numbers may draft Rescigno in the mid rounds of this year’s draft.  Probably, the most desirable trait about Rescigno is his fresh arm (he hasn’t logged many innings the past few years) and he is relatively new to pitching full-time.  The aforementioned coupled with his clean delivery and 94 MPH fastball make for a pretty intriguing prospect.

20/80 Scale (50 is Big League average)

Fastball: 60      Curveball: 50       Command: 40       Overall: 45 

Range: Mid-late (Rounds 20-35)

* Matt Present did play-by-play for the Maryland Terrapins in 2015 and 2016

* Jon Lewis is a former college baseball player and provided color analysis on MBN broadcasts in 2015. He is pursuing a career in professional scouting.

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