Acquired from the Tigers as part of a trade involving big league catcher Gerald Laird in December 2008, Melo showed progress in his second AZL season. He added pitchability and learned to use his changeup, becoming more of a pitcher instead of a thrower under the tutelage of Rangers pitching coach Ryan O'Malley. Melo's fastball sits at 90-94 mph and gets as high as 96. He uses a hard curveball to put hitters away, and the pitch grades as a 55 on the 20-80 scale. His changeup is still developing, and some scouts think that his future likely will be in the bullpen.
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