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Physical Description: Medium,
athletic frame. Has some projection left and should add strength
as he matures.
Mechanics: Throws from a
high three-quarters arm slot from the first base side of the
rubber. Steps backwards toward first base before a
medium-to-high leg kick prior to delivery. Finishes off-balance
towards first base, with a pronounced leg kick up on his
follow-through. Makes himself small when coming forward, while
keeping his arm high. Very quick arm with short arm action and a
slight stab behind. Moderate arm effort. Needs to find
consistency with his delivery and repeat it better within
outings.
Fastball: 94-96 mph. Tops out
at 99 mph. Pitch has over 20 inches of induced vertical break,
which allows it to play up in the zone with carry and ride and
induce swinging strikes. Type of fastball shape teams look for
because it leads to the ability to miss bats up in the zone.
Command and control need substantial work; will leave the pitch
in the middle of the zone too often where it is straight and
very hittable. Potential plus-to-better offering.
Cutter: 88-91 mph. Short, horizontal break.
Inconsistent pitch, but flashes potential. Will need to locate
it better and have more consistent arm speed to make it more
deceptive. Potential below-average offering.
Slider: 81-85 mph. 11-to-5 shape. Advanced for his age.
Good feel for spin. Gets over the pitch and can snap it off. Can
locate in the zone or out of the zone looking for swinging
strikes. Looks a lot like a curveball, but he calls it a slider.
Potential plus offering.
Changeup:
85-87 mph. Inconsistent, but
will flash bat-missing ability with the ability to pull the
string on it with late fading/dropping action. Bottom really
falls out of the pitch when he throws it well. Primarily used
against left-handed hitters. Potential average offering.
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Career Notes:
Was not a highly-touted amateur prospect out of Venezuela. Began
to show much higher promise after signing, particularly in the
Tricky League in the summer of 2019. Emerged quickly as a
prospect to follow. Was limited to one game due to injuries in
2021. Organization heavily monitored his workload in 2022,
limiting him to no more than three innings per start. Still
broke out and rose quickly into the SoxProspects top 20 by the
end of the season. Earned a promotion to Salem following the end
of the 2022 FCL season. Was set to participate in the 2022 Fall
Performance Program that was canceled due to Hurricane Ian. Was
added to the 40-man roster in November 2023 to protect him from
selection in the Rule 5 Draft. Participated in the Red Sox
Rookie Development Program in January 2024.
Summation: Potential back-end starter or
multi-inning bridge arm. Ceiling of a mid-rotation starter. Wide
variance arm with a high ceiling and low, but rising, floor.
Size, delivery, and inconsistent command and control profile
might push him into the bullpen, but has shown among the best
raw stuff of any arm in the system and was identified by scouts
as the top pitching prospect in the Florida Complex League in
2022. Will flash two plus pitches, with his changeup and cutter
showing potential as well. All have shown bat-missing ability,
and he shows comfort throwing all of them in most counts.
Athletic and moves well on and off the mound. Next step in his
development is finding consistency with his delivery and showing
he can handle a full season’s workload. By staying healthy for
the 2023 season, has gone a long way towards addressing the
latter concern.
Links
State of the System: Low Minors Pitchers (4.2.20)
Countdown to Spring Training (3.8.2023)
Spring Training
Video (3.19.2023)
Notes from the Field: Luis Perales and Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz
(4.26.23) |
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