Carlos Villanueva

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Milwaukee Brewers #31 prospect in 2006
  The Brewers flipped Wayne Franklin and Leo Estrella to the Giants in spring training 2004 in exchange for Villanueva and Glenn Woolard. While Woolard had a solid run in 2004, Villanueva emerged as the better prospect with a dominating 2005 season in the high Class A Florida State League. He led the FSL with a 2.32 ERA and the Milwaukee system with 138 strikeouts, but he didn't do it with overwhelming stuff. He'll have to maintain fine command to continue his success at higher levels. Villanueva uses his fastball well, throwing strikes with it and generally keeping it down in the strike zone. His fastball velocity varies, at times sitting at a fringe-average 88-90 mph and at other times dropping to 84-88. His curveball and slider are just so-so pitches with little to differentiate them other than velocity, but he generally commands them well. His changeup makes him a prospect. It's a plus pitch that he has a real feel for, and he'll throw it any time in the count, allowing him to pitch backwards and making his other pitches more effective. Villanueva got hit hard after a promotion to Double-A Huntsville, in part because his conditioning is mediocre and he ran out of gas. He doesn't have much margin for error, but Villanueva has a chance to be a back-of-the-rotation starter. He'll open 2006 back in Double-A.