Archive for devin mesoraco

I had an opportunity to watch Tampa Bay Rays pitching prospect Alexander Torres make a start against the prospect-laden Louisville Bats (Cincinnati Reds). At first glance, Torres needs to tighten up his conditioning; he’s a little soft around the middle. He’s also too soft in his approach on the mound. When he gets into to trouble he pitches away from contact and needs to trust his stuff more to be successful at triple-A.

In this game, Torres featured four pitches: a fastball that sat around 91 (touching 94 mph), curveball, slider and changeup. His strikeout pitch is the breaking ball. I’m not sure how well his curveball is going to work at the MLB level because it’s loopy. He also shows a tighter breaking ball (slider) that shows some potential.

I also liked his changeup, but he rarely used it. I’m not sure if Robinson Chirinos or the manager was calling the game but the pitches were poorly mixed. Torres threw far too many breaking balls and needs to work off the fastball – especially when he’s struggling – if he’s going to succeed at the Major League level and strike batters out with his best pitch (curveball).

Read the rest of this entry »

Prospect ranking season is just around the corner. In anticipation of that, we present an intro series looking at some of the players who deserve mentioning but probably will not be appearing on their teams’ Top 10 lists. The popular series is back for a second year.

The Graduate: Daniel Herrera, LHP
At 5’6” (or so), simply appearing in a Major League game would have been an accomplishment for Herrera. This southpaw appeared in 70 games for the Reds while posting a walk rate of 3.50 BB/9 and a strikeout rate of 6.42 K/9. His ground-ball rate of 50% was encouraging, especially considering that his heater averages out at a lukewarm 84 mph. His changeup, by far his best pitch (7.3 wCH) floats in around 68 mph. Left-handed batters hate him (.183) but right-handers love him (.361).

The Riser: Matt Maloney, LHP
The Reds big-league club received solid production from Maloney during a seven-start stint in the Majors. He showed good poise with a walk rate of 1.77 BB/9. Maloney allowd 43 hits in 40.2 innings of work. He gave up too many homers (1.99 HR/9) as a fly-ball pitcher. The southpaw has always posted good minor-league numbers despite having average stuff. His best pitch is his changeup, which he sets up with below-average fastball. Maloney has a chance to settle into the backend of the Reds’ rotation.

The Tumbler: Devin Mesoraco, C
The good news is that Mesoraco is still young; he’s just 21 years old. The bad news, though, is that his bat has been pretty much ineffective for his three pro seasons since being taken in the first round of the amateur draft. At high-A in 2009, Mesoraco hit .228/.311/.381 with a strikeout rate of 24.4%. His walk rate did show some signs of life at 10.4%, as did his power. Mesoraco’s ISO has increased each season and it topped out at .154 in ’09. Defensively, he threw out 30% of base runners attempting to steal.

The ’10 Sleeper: Juan Carlos Sulbaran, RHP
Sulbaran gained a following after appearing in the most recent World Baseball Classic. He did not make his Reds system debut until 2009 and the 19-year-old hurler was challenged with a gig in low-A ball. Sulbaran did not embarass himself, but his walk rate (4.95 BB/9) was high and he gave up a lot of homers (1.85 HR/9). His strikeout rate of 9.71 K/9 was encouraging. Look for bigger and better things in 2010, although he may return to the Midwest League.

Bonus: Kyle Lotzkar, RHP
Lotzkar was drafted out of Canada as a raw, but intriguing, pitching prospect and he was highlighted as the Reds’ sleeper prospect prior to the 2009 season. His pro career – like a lot of hard-throwing Canucks – has been littered with injuries. He made just 10 starts in ’09 and allowed 29 hits in 37.2 innings. Lotzkar’s strikeout rate of 11.95 K/9 is eye-popping, but so is the 5.73 BB/9. He needs to get a healthy streak together so he can gain some much-needed experience on the mound.

2008 Draft Slot: 7th overall
Top Pick: Yonder Alonso, 1B, University of Miami
Best Pick: Yonder Alonso
Keep an Eye On: Zach Stewart, RHP, Texas Tech (3rd round)
Notes: Zach Stewart is absolutely flying through the minors even though he’s been moved into the starting rotation. He began the year in high-A and has now made two starts in double-A – and has yet to allow a run at that level. Stewart was a little too hittable in high-A, but he throws an excellent sinker, and should benefit more as the defenses behind him improve (as he moves to higher levels). Stewart has also shown exceptional control by walking fewer than two batters per nine innings in nine starts. Yonder Alonso is having a solid, albeit not-so-flashy, season in high-A. He’s showing a good eye at the plate, he’s batting for a solid average and he’s showing some power. Alonso, though, has yet to quiet concerns that he cannot hit southpaws.

2007 Draft Slot: 15th overall
Top Pick: Devin Mesoraco, C, Pennsylvania high school
Best Pick: Todd Frazier, OF, Rutgers University (Supplemental 1st round)
Worst Pick: Devin Mesoraco
Notes: Devin Mesoraco showed a ton of improvement in his senior year of high school and was the fastest moving draft prospect right before the draft. It looks like scouts got a little ahead of themselves and Mesoraco was simply having a hot stretch. Only 20, though, he has plenty of time to turn things around. Despite not walking much, Todd Frazier is having a good season in double-A as he adjusts to life as an outfielder. Neftali Soto (3rd round) is finding high-A to be a challenge, especially with his aggressive approach at the plate, but don’t forget about him.

2006 Draft Slot: 8th overall
Top Pick: Drew Stubbs, OF, University of Texas
Best Pick: Drew Stubbs
Worst Pick: Sean Watson, RHP, University of Tennessee (2nd round)
Notes: When you take a college player with the eighth-overall pick, you’d hope he’d be in the Majors within two seasons. Drew Stubbs, though, is still in the minors and no one is really that surprised. He was a very toolsy and athletic, but raw, collegian and the Reds knew that when the organization selected him. Stubbs is playing well in triple-A, so his arrival in Cincinnati is not far off. Outfielder Chris Heisey was a nice find in the 17th round. He’s hitting .360 in double-A and has shown improved power development throughout his minor league career.

2009 Draft Slot: 8th overall
Draft Preference (2006-08): College, but will not shy away from good prep prospects
MLB Club Need: Starting pitching, Outfield, Shortstop
Organizational Need: Left-handed pitching, Right field, Left field, Second base
Organizational Strength: Center field, Third base
Notes: The Reds have a nice spot to pick in the first round and should be able to nab a very talented pitcher – either college or prep. The club also has an extra selection in the supplemental first round. With the 2007 selection of prep catcher Devin Mesoraco (15th overall) not looking so good (.180/.281/.311 in high-A), maybe the club will look for another catcher-of-the-future, with some of the many young backstops available.