Nicolo Pinazzi was out of affiliated baseball a year ago. He never made the Angels' Top 30 prospects list on MLB.com.

Yet as of Friday, Pinazzi is a member of the 40-man roster, and will presumably get a look at a role in the Angels' major league bullpen in spring training.

Pinazzi, a 27-year-old left-hander, had his contract selected by the Angels on the same day the team declined the $2.5 million 2027 option in right-handed pitcher Robert Stephenson's contract.

Who is Pinazzi, and how did his fortunes change so dramatically in the past year?

A native of Milan, Italy, Pinazzi was never a top prospect. His pedigree — an undrafted amateur who went the junior college route after coming to the United States as a teenager — didn't suggest greatness. After three seasons in the Cincinnati Reds organization, he topped out at the Class-A level and was released in March 2024.

Pinazzi spent the next two seasons pitching in independent baseball. There, he improved enough to get a contract from the Angels as a minor league free agent last December.

Few could predict what happened next. Pinazzi made 48 appearances and tossed 64 innings across four levels of the minors, finishing the season with a 0.84 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 103 strikeouts against 33 walks.

Pinazzi began the year with Class-A Rancho Cucamonga, where he struck out 48 hitters in 29.1 innings and posted a 1.53 ERA. A promotion to High-A Tri-City produced more of the same: 29 strikeouts in 16 innings without an earned run. From there, the Angels sent him to Double-A Rocket City.

Pinazzi made one appearance at Triple-A Salt Lake, a scoreless two-inning relief outing, and was the winning pitcher. His fastball was clocked at 97.3 mph from the left side, but the pitch that hitters had the most trouble handling was a power breaking ball that FanGraphs described as a slider/cutter hybrid.

Between May 21 and September 4, Pinazzi did not allow an earned run across 31 appearances and 43 innings. It was the longest scoreless streak in minor league baseball.

Pinazzi's age makes him a bit old for most "prospects," but would not have precluded him from being selected in the Rule 5 draft. It's unclear when the next one will take place, with a lockout expected to go into effect on Dec. 1, but the Angels had until then to protect him by adding him to their 40-man roster.

Ready or not, Pinazzi is now a step away from the big leagues. If he debuts in 2027, he'll have one of the coolest back stories of any rookie.