Newest Red Sox pitching prospect Nicholas Judice throws fastball that has reached triple digits, whiff-inducing slider

The Red Sox added to their 2023 draft class earlier this month by trading outfielder Alex Verdugo to the Yankees.

In exchange for Verdugo, who is eligible for free agency next winter, Boston received three right-handers from New York who are all at different points in their respective careers. While Greg Weissert — with two seasons of big-league experience under his belt — and Richard Fitts — the reigning Eastern League Pitcher of the Year — have each established themselves to varying degrees, Nicholas Judice has yet to throw a professional pitch.

Judice, the youngest of the four players involved in the rare swap between division rivals, was selected by the Yankees in the eighth round of this past summer’s draft out of Louisiana-Monroe. A native of the Pelican State himself, the 22-year-old signed with New York for $185,500 in July but did not see any action with a minor-league affiliate after putting pen to paper.

In his fourth and final season at Louisiana-Monroe this spring, Judice posted a 3.74 ERA and 1.13 WHIP with 66 strikeouts to 15 walks in 21 appearances (three starts) spanning 53 innings of work for the Warhawks. Baseball America tabbed the righty as the 420th-ranked prospect in this year’s draft class while MLB Pipeline gave a much more favorable ranking at No. 175.

Based off scouting reports from both publications, Judice has drawn rave reviews for his athleticism and projectability. Standing at an imposing 6-foot-8 and 230 pounds, Judice throws from a three-quarters arm slot and relies primarily upon two pitches: a low-90s fastball that reportedly touched 100 mph this spring and a whiff-inducing, mid-80s slider that was singled out by Baseball America as the best secondary offering in the Yankees’ 2023 draft class.

Although the bulk of his work in college came out of the bullpen, Judice made three straight Friday night starts for the Warhawks to close out their 2023 campaign and then started three more games for the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox of the Cape Cod Baseball League over the summer. Given his experience in both roles, Judice could be stretched out into a starter or fast-tracked as a reliever depending on how the Red Sox plan on utilizing him.

Having said that, Judice, who turns 23 in April, is now regarded by SoxProspects.com as the No. 57 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks 26th among pitchers in the organization. He is currently projected by the site to begin the 2024 season — and therefore make his pro debut — with Low-A Salem.

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Jaxon Smith-Njigba suffered the most unlucky injury against Titans

Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba suffered an injury scare Sunday on a terribly unlucky play against the Tennessee Titans.

Seattle was facing 3rd-and-4 at the Titans’ 10-yard line while trailing 7-3 early in the second quarter.

Smith-Njigba unsuccessfully tried to haul in a pass from Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith for a touchdown. Smith-Njigba’s momentum while trying to catch the pass led him to crash into the padded wall at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn.

Crashing into the barricade is unlucky enough. But Smith-Njigba’s left knee slammed hard into the only portion of the wall with the concrete exposed.

The Ohio State alum was seen writhing in pain while holding onto his left knee. He hobbled into the tunnel with medical staff shortly after.

However, it didn’t take long for Smith-Njigba to quell Seahawks fans’ fears over his injury status. The 21-year-old was able to return on Seattle’s next drive and even caught a 6-yard pass.

Smith-Njigba’s knee also looked pretty good when he made arguably the biggest catch of the game with his team trailing 17-13 with under 2 minutes left in the contest.

Smith-Njigba caught an 18-yard pass in traffic on 3rd-and-14 to extend the Seahawks’ late drive. Seattle scored a go-ahead touchdown a few plays later.

After some misfortune in the first half, Smith-Njigba and the Seahawks were able to rebound for a 20-17 win over the Titans.

Smith-Njigba finished with 6 catches for 61 yards — just two yards shy of his career high.