This Italian-born reliever wants to throw 105 mph, 'play like my head is on fire'

Mamma mia!

Nicolo Pinazzi -- an Italian pitcher from Milan -- etched his name into Minor League history while enjoying a breakout campaign this season. The 26-year-old journeyman prospect climbed three levels of the Angels system, finishing the year with 13 games for the Double-A Rocket City Trash Pandas, who are heading to the Southern League Championship Series, which begins on Sunday.

The 6-foot-2, 195-pound left-hander did not allow an earned run from May 21 through Sept. 4 -- a stretch that encompassed 31 appearances (43 innings) across three levels. Over this period, Pinazzi racked up 76 strikeouts while posting a 1.05 WHIP and .169 average against. It’s the longest streak by a pitcher without allowing an earned run in the Minor Leagues since 2016 -- and the longest by a southpaw since 2007.

“I think the turning point for me this year was being able to throw my fastball up in the zone more often for strikes,” Pinazzi said. “When I started elevating more, it opened up the zone for my offspeed pitches way more and that was the turning point for me.

“Also, when you start to have success, you get more comfortable and your confidence goes up. I’m not thinking as much about being perfect around the edges and my focus just goes to throwing strikes because it’s working. I really just tell myself to play like my head is on fire.”

And it isn’t just the newly adopted mindset that has aided in Pinazzi’s run of dominance. The Milanese also credits the development of a new pitch, one that he isn’t comfortable referring to as a cutter, so he fondly calls it a “bullet slider.”

“I don’t like calling it a cutter. If I think it’s a cutter, I don’t throw it the way I’m supposed to, so I like to think of it as a bullet slider, and it’s now my bread and butter,” he said. “I throw it 70 percent of the time. I trust it the most. I can throw it for a strike whenever I want. I will die on the hill with it.”

On the year -- Pinazzi’s first full pro season after stints in the Minors in 2021, ’22 and ’23 -- the southpaw sports an 0.84 ERA, a 1.22 WHIP and a .200 average against with 103 punchouts against 33 walks (a 38.9 K% and 26.4 K-BB%) in 48 outings (64 innings) across four levels. (He made a single relief appearance for Triple-A Salt Lake on May 3 in which he tossed a pair of hitless frames.)

In addition to his “bullet slider,” Pinazzi also features a four-seam fastball that he says has some cut and some carry but doesn’t really run, and a curveball that flashes some slurve action.

“I’ve been getting better at throwing that pitch as more of a 12-6 to righties and more like a sweeper to lefties,” he said.

He also used to throw a two-seam heater, which he quipped, “It might be the worst pitch in baseball. I throw it like once a month now and it’s never a good idea.”

And as far as thinking about potentially stretching out in the future and being a starter down the line, Pinazzi is not interested.

“I love coming out of the bullpen,” he said, “I really like the bullpen vibes and you get to come in and just throw as hard as you can. My goal is to throw 105 every time I go out there. That’s the thought process.

“I can see myself being a setup guy or magari (I wish) a closer in the future.”

Pinazzi, who maxed out at 97.3 mph this season, has had anything but a straight line to this point. The 26-year-old is the son of a former amateur baseball player in Italy and grew up with a unique perspective and passion for the sport in a country where calcio (soccer) has a monopoly on youth sports. As a graduation present from high school, his parents registered him for a college showcase in Arizona and covered his airfare and accommodations so that he could attend the event.

“I really didn’t know much about my game at that point,” he said. “I knew I could throw hard and I had a curveball, but I had zero expectations. I really just went to America as like a vacation to have a good time.”

But Pinazzi caught the attention of scouts as he flashed 90+ mph with his fastball and that big curveball he knew he had. He started to get JUCO offers and was considering going that route until he got a Minor League offer from the Reds and opted to sign with Cincinnati.

“Those 10 days completely changed my life,” he said. “Covid happened shortly after this and obviously messed things up, but those 10 days are why I’ve now been in America for six years.”

But after parts of three seasons in the Reds organization without any sustained success, Cincinnati cut Pinazzi in the spring of 2024. He then turned to the American Association, a Partner League of Major League Baseball, and got looks from the Kansas City Monarchs and Gary SouthShore Railcats, but was released from both teams shortly after his arrival with each club.

“2024 was a really hard year for me,” he said. “I was with the Reds for two weeks before they cut me and then the Monarchs and Railcats was quick looks. I got cut from three teams in three months.”

So it was back to the drawing board for Pinazzi -- or in this case, the gym. The Italian turned his focus to his training, with an emphasis on developing muscle, as well as a new pitch. He signed with the Idaho Falls Chukars of the Pioneer League (also an MLB Partner League) that year and began to see results, topping out at 95 mph on his fastball for the first time.

He returned to the Chukars last year and continued to find success, racking up 42 K’s in 31 innings over 29 appearances and helped the team to the 2025 Pioneer Baseball League Championship Series where it was just edged out in the decisive game of the best-of-5 series.

“I was never in the gym when I was with the Reds, I used to be by far the weakest guy in the room,” Pinazzi said. “But I got strong with the Chukars, my body became like that of a baseball player.

“And we had such an amazing group there, I got to work with [manager] Troy Percival and [pitching coach] Bob Milacki.”

After that season, Pinazzi got a call from a familiar voice. The scout who helped him sign with the Reds five years prior was now working for the Angels and wanted him to come back to the pro ranks. Pinazzi signed a Minor League deal with the club on Dec. 15, 2025.

“When things got bad, you think it’s never going to get better again, but I had an amazing group of people around me who believed in me,” he said. “I had so much fun in ’24 with Idaho Falls, it’s the only reason I came back in ’25. Next thing you know, I’ve got a new pitch, I’m throwing 95 and Boomer, who signed me with the Reds, never forgot me and signs me with the Angels.”