Angels Add An Intriguing Arm To The Bullpen

On Friday, the Los Angeles Angels added left-handed relief pitcher Nicolo Pinazzi to their active roster and while he may not yet be the most indispensable piece of an Angels' bullpen group that really struggled in 2026, he's definitely one of the most interesting.

Born in Milan, Italy, Pinazzi, who turned 27 on Oct. 25, entered professional baseball in 2021 as a member of the Cincinnati Reds' organization.

In three seasons with the Reds, during which he never pitched at a higher level than Single-A for the Daytona Tortugas in the Florida State League, he compiled a combined 8-5 record while appearing in 51 games - seven starts - with ERAs ranging from 2.60 to 9.82. One thing he was able to do effectively was strike people out with 154 punchouts over 96 innings pitched for an average of 14.4 strikeouts per nine (K/9).

That wasn't enough for the Reds to keep Pinazzi around, however, as they released him following the 2023 season.

That set him off on a two-season journey through the non-affiliated independent leagues, with stops in Gary, IN, and Kansas City, MO, in the American Association, and Idaho Falls, ID, in the Pioneer League in 2024, with a return engagement with Idaho Falls in 2025.

It was during that second stint in Idaho that Pinazzi began to belatedly put things together, as MLB.com's Rob Terranova noted in a piece highlighting Pinazzi that was posted on Sept. 19.

The first piece of Pinazzi's renaissance was a commitment to getting into the best shape of his life: "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 in Terranova's report. “But I got strong with [Idaho Falls], my body became like that of a baseball player."

The second game-changer was the development of a new pitch, what Pinazzi calls a "bullet slider" that can resemble a cutter in shape, but get swings and misses like a more traditional slider.

Saying the pitch became "my bread and butter," he added, “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.”

What he could also call the pitch was his "ticket to the majors."

Signed by the Angels prior to the 2026 season based on his work in Idaho Falls, Pinazzi pitched at all four levels of the Angels' minor-league system this year, 22 games at Single-A Rancho Cucamonga, 12 games at High-A Tri-City, 13 games at Double-A Rocket City and one hitless two-inning appearance at Triple-A Salt Lake in which he picked up a win.

His combined numbers at the four stops were eye-opening: 48 appearances and 64 total innings with 103 strikeouts (14.5 K/9), a 0.84 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and .200 batting average against, and while his walks per nine innings overall was high at 4.6, it did recede to 3.9 and 3.7, respectively, during his time with Tri-City and Rocket City.

His season was also somewhat historic as from May 21 through Sept. 4 he took the mound 31 times and threw 43 innings across three levels and did not allow an earned run. That was the longest minor-league scoreless streak by a pitcher since 2016 and the longest by a left-hander since 2007. In that time, he struck out 76 batters for a stunning 15.9 K/9.

Now he's ready to take his shot in the majors and, in an interesting sidenote, he may do it alongside a fellow countryman. Pitcher Sam Aldegheri, who was born in Verona, Italy, appeared in 16 games from 2024-26 for the Angels and might be slated for a more prominent role in 2027. Both also have experience with Team Italy in the World Baseball Classic, Pinazzi in 2023 and Aldegheri in 2026.