With their 13th round pick in the 2022 MLB draft, the Pittsburgh Pirates have selected left-handed pitcher Miguel Fulgencio from Cowley County CC.
Fulgencio played at a small school and he’s already 23 years old, but he does have a commitment to Oklahoma if he doesn’t sign. He was a star running back and an outfielder, who has just two years of actual mound experience. Despite being raw and older, he is a bit intriguing as a potential reliever due to his fastball that can get up to 96 MPH and what MLB Pipeline calls “a tight slider”. He put up strong results this year with a 1.75 ERA and 60 strikeouts in 45.1 innings. He has also shown some success in limited summer league work. He was born in the Dominican Republic. He was not among the top 250 prospects for Pipeline or the top 500 for Baseball America.
+ postsJohn started working at Pirates Prospects in 2009, but his connection to the Pittsburgh Pirates started exactly 100 years earlier when Dots Miller debuted for the 1909 World Series champions. John was born in Kearny, NJ, two blocks from the house where Dots Miller grew up. From that hometown hero connection came a love of Pirates history, as well as the sport of baseball.
When he didn't make it as a lefty pitcher with an 80+ MPH fastball and a slider that needed work, John turned to covering the game, eventually focusing in on the prospects side, where his interest was pushed by the big league team being below .500 for so long. John has covered the minors in some form since the 2002 season, and leads the draft and international coverage on Pirates Prospects. He writes daily on Pittsburgh Baseball History, when he's not covering the entire system daily throughout the entire year on Pirates Prospects.
Callis with a Fulgencio mention, and how area scouts loved him.
https://twitter.com/jjcoop36/status/1549466316855197701?s=20&t=pZ3_iXXeJS4jmxK_MdUcaw
I like this one – mlb.com had a very interesting write up. Another lefty
Do you have the link?
player-headshot
Bats: L
Class: JC J3
Height: 6′ 1″
Pick Value: —
Throws: L
DOB: 01/22/99
Weight: 205
Birthplace: Dominican Republic
A favorite of area scouts, Fulgencio began his college athletic career as an Oklahoma State running back. He transferred to Cowley County (Kan.) CC and played in the outfield during the shortened 2020 season, then taught himself to pitch and refined his delivery while watching YouTube videos during the pandemic layoff. A pitcher the last two years, he’s intriguing as a lefty reliever with a 90-96 mph fastball and tight slider. He went 7-0 with five saves, a 1.75 ERA and a 60/8 K/BB ratio in 46 1/3 innings this spring as the Tigers reached the finals of the Junior College World Series. He’ll transfer to Oklahoma if he doesn’t turn pro, though at age 23 he should be very signable
Thanks! He’ll be a great story if he makes it.
Obviously a good athlete and a smart man, but it’s really hard to succeed in MLB.