The Pittsburgh Pirates announced that they have completed the Arquimedes Caminero deal with the Seattle Mariners, acquiring left-handed pitcher Jake Brentz and right-handed pitcher Pedro Vasquez. Brentz is 21 years old and currently in Low-A ball, while Vasquez is 20 years old and teammates with Brentz in Low-A.
The Pirates have received LHP Jake Brentz & RHP Pedro Vasquez from Seattle as the 2 PTBN to complete the 8/6 Arquimedes Caminero trade.
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) September 2, 2016
Vasquez is a 6’4″ right-handed pitcher, who has made eight starts for Clinton in the Midwest League. He has a 2.28 ERA in 43.1 innings, with a .223 BAA, an 0.90 WHIP and 30 strikeouts. He spent last season in the Dominican Summer League, where he pitched well as a first year pro. Vasquez has made quite a jump since then, and put up strong numbers, especially the four walks in 43.1 innings.
Brentz was originally drafted in the 11th round by the Blue Jays in 2013, so he is in his fourth season of pro ball. Over three levels, he has a 5.32 ERA in 45.2 innings, with 36 walks and 50 strikeouts. He was ranked 25th in the Mariners system coming into the season by Baseball America due to his low-90s fastball, which touches 96 MPH from an easy arm action. They called him a raw pitcher, with a high ceiling, who will need time to develop.
While Vasquez is younger and has the better stats, MLB Pipeline’s post-draft prospect update had Brentz as #26 for the Mariners and Vasquez wasn’t in the top 30. They call Brentz an impressive athlete, who is still considered raw due to concentrating on being a position player in high school. He was an 11th round pick, but it took $700,000 to sign him away from college.
Fangraphs has a video of Vasquez from June, where he was sitting 90-93, throwing mostly fastballs. He also had a low 80s slider and another pitch in the 80s they called a split/change.
