Focusing on the Bradenton Marauders this week, one thing is apparent: This team has some pitching talent.
Yesterday we did a Prospect Roundtable, comparing the top two arms on the team: Anthony Solometo and Carlos Jimenez.
Today, we’re opening up the discussion to the rest of the Bradenton pitching staff. I asked everyone who they would pick from this group with Solometo and Jimenez removed. The answers created a promising second tier of pitching prospects at this level.
JOHN DREKER: Po-Yu Chen
Outside of Jimenez and Solometo, the most interesting pitcher is probably Po-Yu Chen. The results haven’t been there overall, but he has gone through dominating streaks in starts, setting down 10+ batters in a row multiple times. He has the feel of someone who will continue to get better with more experience. I was impressed by the first inning in his last start when he got strikeouts on each of his three pitches, working each batter different. While the last start ended poorly due to a grand slam late, there was a highlight worth noting outside of the first inning. He was up to 95 MPH in that game, hitting it multiple times. His velocity is improved over last year and that was the first I’ve seen 95 from him. I’ve also seen him hit 94 MPH on his last pitch of the night for a strikeout, reaching back late for some heat. At the time, 94 was his high point, and you don’t often see young pitchers carry velocity through a long outing. I expected him to do much better this year, but he’s shown enough that having some patience might be the best thing right now. He’s still just 20 years old and has some room to fill out.
WILBUR MILLER: Joelvis Del Rosario
There are a number of candidates here, with nobody separating himself. Jack Hartman could be a choice once we see more of him. Wilkin Ramos has always been all about projection and it’s showing up now, as he’s throwing 95-97, but his command has a long ways to go. Cristian Charle is interesting because he’s a reliever with a two-pitch mix of mid-90s fastball and change. Luis Peralta certainly has the wildest bunch of stats – he’s striking out just under two per inning, but he’s walking a batter an inning and getting killed by a .500 BABIP. The result of all this is a 7.89 ERA and 3.65 xFIP. But I’ll go with Joelvis Del Rosario, who has both a solid mix of four pitches and good command. He can work in the mid-90s early in games, and his change has made him very effective against left-handed hitters this year. At 5’11”, he doesn’t offer much projection, but he’s been consistently effective as a pro, has shown some ability to miss bats, and just turned 21.
ANTHONY MURPHY: Po-Yu Chen
The numbers haven’t been there, at least the usual counting statistics, but I still like the stuff of Po-Yu Chen. Even with the less-than-ideal numbers, it’s been some big innings that has cost him. Against Fort Myers he gave up four runs in the fifth inning but pitched brilliantly up to then. I’m not sure he has the greatest of upsides, but he has shown a velocity bump from the brief time we saw him in Bradenton last year and his splitter has become a legitimate swing and miss pitch. If there’s a pitcher who brings their inflated ERA down, my money is on Chen.
RYAN PALENCER: Luis Peralta
My selection is a tough one here, but it’s hard to top the overall stuff of Luis Peralta outside of the top two hurlers. Being another lefty never hurts either. The upside is extremely clear, as he’s averaging nearly two strikeouts per inning. However, the flaws are equally present, walking nearly one more hitter an inning. This combined with a .277 batting average against leads to the heavy amount of runs allowed. Both the walks and strikeouts are both up this season, but this certainly makes Peralta appealing if he can locate some command again. The main issue is that if he finds this, he’ll have to be added to the 40-man at the lower levels, already being Rule 5 eligible.
TIM WILLIAMS: Po-Yu Chen
I came into this expecting to pick Luis Peralta, who really impressed me early in the season. Even in outings where he had control issues, the stuff looked good. He’s also a lefty, and it’s pretty much a scientific fact that lefties are far more advanced than right-handers in every possible way except organization. Maybe I’m just unorganized as a left-hander myself, because for the second day in a row, I’m taking the right-hander. I really like what Joelvis Del Rosario has done this year, and Justin Meis has shown some promise. This comes down to Chen vs Peralta, and what swayed me was the lack of control Peralta gets from his secondary stuff. He’s got a good fastball, and the curveball could be solid, but seems like it’s more difficult to control. Chen has a bit of the same problem in trying to improve his secondary stuff, but is already starting ahead of Peralta with his splitter. That pitch has the makings of a plus offering, and might already be there at times. On top of that, Chen shows potential with two distinct slider looks, and a curveball that he’s been improving the spin rate on. He’s also shown an improved fastball in his last start. I see Chen having an easier path to success as he not only has more secondary options to choose from, but seemingly has an advanced feel for manipulating the ball, which I think is the thing that will set him apart from the rest of this rotation — and possibly allow him to eventually challenge the guys we discussed yesterday.
THIS WEEKEND ON PIRATES PROSPECTS
Prospect Roundtable: The Rest of the Bradenton Pitching Staff
Po-Yu Chen Fine Tuning His Stuff in Bradenton
Luis Peralta: Trying To Learn From Early Season Failures
