LYNN — A pair of Massachusetts natives and former prep teammates will be reunited with the Futures Collegiate Baseball League’s North Shore Navigators this summer.
The newest members of North Shore’s pitching staff are Dayton’s Nate Espelin and Northeastern’s Jake Gigliotti. President and General Manager Derek January made Tuesday’s announcement, welcoming the two freshmen who helped The Winchendon School to the New England Small School Tournament title as postgraduate students last spring.
A 35th-round draft pick of the New York Yankees last June, Espelin appeared in three games for Dayton this season after posting seven wins, a 1.53 ERA and 67 strikeouts over 50.1 innings at Winchendon. The 6-foot, 190-pound left-hander earned Second Team All-New England Prep honors from New England Baseball Journal last season. Before departing for his prep year, Espelin was a three-time Middlesex League All-Star as both a pitcher and soccer goalkeeper for Belmont High. His Belmont Marauder baseball resume also includes a Middlesex League Player of the Year award in 2018 and two All-Scholastic nods from both the Boston Globe and Boston Herald.
Scouting Report: Throws any pitch in any count … sits 88-90mph with above-average curveball and changeup … good athlete … MLB comp: Dallas Braden.
Gigliotti made two appearances during his debut spring at Northeastern, tallying three strikeouts in four frames. The Auburn native is a familiar face to the Fraser Field fans as he pitched in 13 games for the Navs last summer, holding FCBL opponents to a .206 average and fanning 30 over 26.2 regular-season innings. At Winchendon, the 6-foot-1, 185-pound righty posted a 1.58 ERA and 15.4 strikeouts per nine innings. He was also a Telegram & Gazette and Mid-Wach League All-Star during his two years at Wachusett Regional High School in Holden.
Scouting Report: Throws three pitches for strikes … sits 86-90mph with above-average slider … very good competitor … great mound composer … MLB comp: Merrill Kelly.
The Navs are now preparing for the 13th season of collegiate ball at Fraser Field and their ninth in the Futures League. The 2020 opener is scheduled for Wednesday, May 27. Until then, stay up to date on the latest Navs news by visiting nsnavs.com and following us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
