2/1/15

Mack - 2015 Prospect List - #5 – RHSP – Marcos Molina



My rankings is solely subjective and based on nothing more than what is in my head at time I’m writing this. I’ve followed the Mets minor league players for many years and I feel I can recognize talent at various levels of their development. What I have failed at is how to determine when this talent seems to diminish. It’s amazing how many first round picks never make it in this game.

I’m old school, so you won’t seem much SABR-discussion here, I do research and, when I find a good quote or two, I’ll add them to my analysis, but, like I said in the beginning of this post, most of this us subjective.

Let’s get started.

#5 –  RHSP – Marcos Molina – 19-years old – 6-3, 188 – R/R

           Santiago, Dominican Republic – International free agent signee

           2012 –  DSL Mets – 14-G, 13-starts, 3.58, 1.12, 55.1-IP, 40-K

           2013 –  GCL Mets – 11-G, 6-starts, 4.39, 1.31, 53.1-IP, 43-K

           2014 – Brooklyn – 12-starts, 1.77, 0.84, 76.1-IP, 91-K


Molina features three pitches… a 93-95mph fastball, a developing slider and what many say is a ‘devastating’ curve. He seems to be in total command on all three pitches though he does lose some velocity on his fastball as he hits the 4-5 inning. But let’s remember something… he’s 19 years old.

Molina owned the NY-Penn league last season and some think he will bypass the pitcher’s Sally League. I hope he doesn’t. There’s no place to go once he hits AA--ball.


Outlook –


Scouts I have read have said he has very bad mechanics that could come back and haunt him as his career goes on. The fastball, slider, curve is exactly what I would want from one of my back-end relievers. Even my closer.


For now, let him come to Savannah and settle in for a season

18 comments:

Tom Brennan said...

Definitely fix the mechanics...we need him to last. Healthy.

Anonymous said...

Exciting times for Mets fans
The prospects just keep coming.
And Sandy keeps getting no positive news

Charles said...

I saw a short clip of him delivering a pitch. I was shocked at how little he uses his lower half. Now, I'm not a pitching expert, but to throw mid nineties and only take a step towards home in doing it, must put enormous strain on your shoulder and elbow.

Frankly, I'm surprised they let him pitch like this for 3 years now. If they could get him to take a bigger step and drive towards home plate, he may see a big jump in velo. This kid may end up throwing upper nineties by the time he's in the bigs.

Mack Ade said...

Charles -

Molina is the perfect example of someone doing something the way they did from the first day they threw a baseball rather than listening to a coach that has the knowledge and history of seeing something wrong and correcting it.

Molina will not last with his current mechanics.

Charles said...

You're right. It goes both ways though too. Remember Brad Holt? Aaron Heilman? Mets coaches changed them and they screwed them all up. But with Molina, damn that's a bad delivery. It's max effort without using his legs.

Unknown said...

Charles
Driving towards home is a little league misconception. Most of the time pitchers lose velocity because of doing so. There have been exceptions like Tom Seaver.
It is very difficult to not push your upper body ahead of your arm when driving off the mound. Tom Seaver had the discipline to do this and repeat his delivery. Nolan Ryan was a push and drive pitcher while he was with the Mets. When he was traded he became a "tall and fall" type of pitcher. It didn't hurt his velocity or his arm. He was able to develop a more repeatable delivery which help him to be a little more consistant in hitting the stike zone. Everything is about rhythm until your front foot hits the ground and then the power starts.

Unknown said...

The most dangerous part about his mechanics is that he doesn't have much of a follow through. Very little time for his arm to de-accelerate.

Unknown said...

I disagree that there is no place for him after AA, if he skips "the Sally League". He is the third best pitching propect in organization. The Mets may have six starters at AAA but not six starters at AAA or any other level that have the status to impede the progress of our third best pitching prospect. They have a half dozen prospects that everyone else need to move over when they're ready to advance and Molina is one of them. No need to rush him, but when he is ready for the next level someone else needs to go.

Mack Ade said...

Richard -

There's no reason to rush someone that could easily qualify someday as the team's future closer...

Unknown said...

Mack-
I did say there is no reason to rush him.
When he is at a point where spending time at a level is no longer in his best interest they need to make room for him. I know AAA is jammed packed but if he got to the point where is was ready to move to that level the Mets should clear the way for him. When your dealing with a top five prospect in your organization, that player should get priority over others.
I don't think he will be ready for AAA this season but they need to do what ever is in his best interest.
A lesser prospect would need to wait for the log jam to clear but not Molina. He may be a deGrom. I know last year at this time I thought deGrom may be a future closer. I could not have predicted his success as a front of the rotation starter.

Unknown said...

I agree with Richard here - while the upper minors are clogged, I don't see the organization holding back more talented younger guys

Neither Nimmo or Matz will be blocked from AAA when they are ready, even though there is a log jam of starters and OFs

Charles said...

I get what you're saying but have you seen Monlina pitch? He doesn't use his lower half at all! My point is if he is able to simply go to a more affective delivery where he gets some more momentum behind him, he may just add a few ticks.

Because right now, it's all upper body.

eraff said...

Molina at 5 is a big, big bet on an outstanding Shot Season..... obviously a big talent.

Re Nolan Ryan.... TALL AND FALL????? I don't think so. Time to gather some video clips

Unknown said...

eraff

Nolan Ryan has a pitching video that he did a while back. You can still get it from Amazon. It's called
Nolan Ryan's Fastball Pitching Instructional Video

"Tall and Fall" is actually Nolan Ryan's own words describing his own post Met pitching style.

I think he knows a little more about how he pitched than you do. Sometimes he pays to know about something before writing or talking about it.

"Tall and Fall" is more of pulling with your front leg than driving with your back leg. It is easier to keep your arm in sync with the rest of your body than driving off the mound with the back leg.

Unknown said...

eraff

https://rookieat32.wordpress.com/2009/12/28/nolan-ryans-pitching-tips/

eraff said...

In Golf they call these kinds of things "Swing Thoughts"--- sometimes an overemphasis on a concept versus an actual execution of a given approach.

Here's a pretty good Video of Ryan---I would not point to this as Tall and Fall...He's more definitively a Drop and Drive Guy...regardless of his own "Swing Thought".

eraff said...

Here's a source that says YOU'RE BOTH WRONG!!!..ha! Probably so!!!

http://pitchinginstruction.org/drop-and-drive-or-stand-tall-and-fall/

Anonymous said...

eraff

You give a link showing a video illustration of Nolan Ryan pitching with the "tall and fall" style and Tom Seaver pitching with the "drop and drive" style. The web sit confirms that. It does not contradict that. So how is Nolan Ryan wrong about describing how he pitched?

Now if you're talking about which one is better, then there is debate. Tom Seaver and Sandy Koufax are good arguments for the "drop and drive". Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens are good arguments for "tall and fall". When I coached, I taught "tall and fall". It is easier for kids to learn. Most kids who "drop and drive" are slowly damaging their arm. Most kids will push their bodies out first and then drag their arm. With "tall and fall" it is easier to keep the arm in proper timing with the body.
Nolan Ryan had the same velocity with each method. He became a more complete pitcher with "tall and fall" because he had more command of his pitches.
If a pitcher can master "drop and drive" Sany Koufax and Tom Seaver proved it is very effective.