| Rank | Name | Position | Bats/Throws | Height/Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aaron Sánchez | RHP | R/R | 6-4 / 190 |
| It came to Sánchez versus Marcus Stroman, and while there are still some question marks surrounding his right arm, the chance for three plus pitches gives him a slight edge.
Sánchez’ fastball has a chance to be a devastating pitch; sitting in the mid 90′s while occasionally touching 98 with a great deal of life on the pitch as well. He’ll throw both a two and four-seamer, with the latter acting almost like a cut-fastball that can give right-handed batters fits. His breaking-ball is a plus offering with tremendous depth and spin, though occasionally the pitch will get slurvy when he fails to stay on top of it. His change is the least consistent of his offerings, but it will also flash plus with some fade and his arm speed continues to improve to create the necessary deception.
While the stuff says future ace, Sánchez command right now isn’t near that level. Much has been made of his mechanical changes, as he’s lowered his arm slot to try and get more plane on his pitches, and if he can consistently repeat his delivery and throw enough strikes, he’s a future top of the rotation arm.
FASTBALL 60-70
CURVE 55-60
CHANGE 50-60
COMMAND 40-50
ETA: 2015
| ||||
| Rank | Name | Position | Bats/Throws | Height/Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Marcus Stroman | RHP | R/R | 5-9 / 185 |
| If you’re a fan of players of a diminutive stature that can throw in the mid 90′s with quality secondary stuff, then you and I can be friends and you will absolutely love Marcus Stroman.
Despite his height, Stroman can touch the high 90′s with his fastball thanks to other-worldly arm strength, sitting 92-94 with some late life. His slider has a great amount of tilt and can be an out pitch against left and right-handed hitters, and he has a cutter that will also flash plus, baring into right-handed hitters. His change is the worst of his four pitches, but is good enough to keep hitters off-balance and has shown some improvement over his time with the Blue Jay organization. He’s a tremendous athlete who repeats his delivery well and fields his position exceptionally, and while his command is only above-average, he rarely puts runners on base via walk.
So why is Stroman not the No. 1 prospect in the system? Well for one thing, Sanchez is very good, and Stroman has history working against him as starters of his size (he’s listed at 5-9, I would guess he’s closer to 5-7) and there’s a strong chance that he ends up as a reliever. I give him every chance to start, however, and with his stuff and work ethic, it wouldn’t stun me at all if he ends up being a No. 2 starter, though durability will always be a concern.
FASTBALL 65-65
SLIDER 55-65
CUTTER 50-60
COMMAND 45-55
ETA: 2015
| ||||
| Rank | Name | Position | Bats/Throws | Height/Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Roberto Osuna | RHP | R/R | 6-0 / 200 |
| This ranking might seem a bit bullish to some, and it probably is as Osuna wasn’t great in his limited work last year and will be out for at least a large portion of 2014 after he had Tommy John surgery in July, but I’m a big believer in his right arm. His fastball sat 92-95 before the injury, and there’s life on the pitch as well. He also has a slider that flashes plus-plus when he finds the right release point with a ton of tilt and buries away from right-handed hitters. His change might end up being his best pitch, as he has excellent feel for pitching and creates plenty of deception with almost no difference in arm speed.
We’ll have to see how he responds to the surgery — and there’s also some concerns about being to hold off weight that he shed at the beginning of last year — but Osuna’s overall package of advanced pitchability and quality stuff give him as much upside as any pitcher in the system, and give him a chance to be a top of the rotation arm in a few years.
FASTBALL 60-70
SLIDER 45-55
CHANGE 50-60
COMMAND 40-55
ETA: 2017
| ||||
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