Luis Paula

LUIS PAULA, RIGHT HANDED PITCHER
Born: June 22, 1993
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 205
Bats: Switch
Throws: Right
Drafted: 31st Round, 941st Overall, 2014
How Acquired: Draft
College: University of North Carolina
Agent: N/A

WTM’S PIRATE PLAYER PROFILES
Paula saw very limited time on the mound during his three seasons at North Carolina, making him hard to scout, and he struggled badly as a sophomore.  He is a tall right-handed pitcher, so he fits the Pirates’ mold.  Paula pitched well in Summer League ball after his freshman season, but didn’t fare as well in the Cape Cod League after his sophomore year.  He showed some improvements in his junior year and had a strong strikeout rate. Coming out of high school, he touched the low-90s with his fastball and had an advanced feel for his slider.  He touched 95 MPH in college and sat at 88-91.  Baseball America did rank him 21st on its list of the top 57 draft prospects in North Carolina, although he wasn’t in their overall top 500.  Despite having a year of eligibility left, Paula signed quickly.

2014
R+:  2-2-3, 1.37 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 26.1 IP, 2.7 BB/9, 7.5 K/9

Paula pitched out of the bullpen at Bristol and did well.  He was slightly tougher on left-handed batters than right-handed batters.

2015
R+:  0-0-0, 0.00 ERA, 0.40 WHIP, 10.0 IP, 0.0 BB/9, 8.1 K/9
A-:  6-2-0, 4.15 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, 39.0 IP, 1.6 BB/9, 6.7 K/9

Paula started the 2015 season back in Bristol, but after four strong relief appearances there the Pirates moved him up to Morgantown.  He divided his time in the NYPL between the bullpen and the rotation.  He didn’t walk many batters, but he was fairly hittable, with opponents batting .278 against him.  He showed strong groundball tendencies.

2016
R+:  0-0-0, 3.18 ERA, 0.18 WHIP, 5.2 IP, 0.0 BB/9, 9.5 K/9
A-:  0-0-2, 5.09 ERA, 1.53 WHIP, 17.2 IP, 3.6 BB/9, 6.1 K/9

The Pirates sent Paula down to Bristol to open the season, which in itself wasn’t a good sign.  He pitched very well in four games there before being moved up to Morgantown.  He wasn’t as effective there.  He still pitched sparingly, logging only 23.1 IP.

The Pirates seem to be bringing Paula along slowly and he hasn’t shown a great deal yet.  In three years as a pro, he has yet to throw 100 innings and he hasn’t made it to full season ball despite coming from a major college program.  Maybe he’ll reach West Virginia at some point in 2017.
CONTRACT INFORMATION
2017: Minor league contract
PLAYER INFORMATION
Signing Bonus: N/A
MiLB Debut: 2014
MLB Debut:
MiLB FA Eligible: 2020
MLB FA Eligible:
Rule 5 Eligible: 2017
Added to 40-Man:
Options Remaining: 3
MLB Service Time: 0.000
TRANSACTIONS
June 7, 2014: Drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 31st round, 941st overall pick; signed on June 12.