Scouting The Top International Pitching Prospects

Investing big money in a 16-year-old pitcher isn’t something many teams are comfortable doing. The risk involved in 18-year-old high school seniors is already high, but take a 16-year-old kid from the Dominican Republic who probably doesn’t even have one consistent plus pitch yet and the risk involved climbs dramatically.

Felix Hernandez and Julio Teheran are two examples of pitchers who got paid top-end bonuses in their class as 16-year-olds and have worked out wonderfully, while the Red Sox are undoubtedly elated with the progress so far from righthander Anderson Espinoza. Still, most of the top bonuses come July 2 will go to position players, but these are some of the prominent 2016 pitchers to watch.

Francisco Morales, rhp, Venezuela: Morales is physically imposing at 6-foot-5, 200 pounds and separated himself as one of the top pitchers in the class last year, when he touched 91. His fastball keeps trending up, now sitting in the low-90s and even reaching 96. Like a lot of young, tall pitchers, Morales has had some trouble keeping his delivery together, which led to erratic control early on, but scouts who have followed him said they have seen progress with his control as well as his slider, which has shown sharp break. The Phillies are expected to sign Morales.

Luis Noguera, lhp, Venezuela: Noguera hasn’t been seen much, but he is the top lefty in the 2016 class. He has a highly projectable frame (6-foot-2, 165 pounds), a beautiful delivery with clean arm action and a fastball that has ticked up into the high-80s and touched 90-91 mph. While other arms in the class are more thrower than pitcher, Noguera separates himself with his easy mechanics, feel for pitching and secondary pitches. Noguera is expected to land with the Rockies.

Roancy Contreras, rhp, Dominican Republic: Contreras (5-foot-10, 180 pounds) trains with Basilio Vizcaino (known as “Cachaza”), who is one of the most prominent trainers in the Dominican Republic. Yet he still managed to slip under the radar to an extent, which is why the Yankees look like the favorites to sign him even though they are under the penalty and can’t sign anyone for more than $300,000. Some scouts consider Contreras the best pitcher in the Dominican Republic, with a fastball that has reached 92-93 mph, a sharp curveball with tight spin and a delivery that should allow him to be a starter.

Yefri Del Rosario, rhp, Dominican Republic: Other scouts prefer Del Rosario to Contreras because Del Rosario has better present stuff. They both have sharp breaking balls, but Del Rosario has excellent arm speed and has been up to 94 mph with his fastball. There’s more bullpen risk with Del Rosario because of his arm action and stature (5-foot-11, 165 pounds), but he’s one of the top arms in the class. It’s also not clear yet where he will sign or if he will even sign on July 2, with the Indians and Braves the two teams most often tied to him.

Diego Blanco, rhp, Venezuela: Blanco has a fast arm, loose arm action and a projectable frame (6-foot-2, 180 pounds) that should allow him to add to his fastball, which ranges from 87-91 mph. His fastball has good movement and his slider has tight spin as well. Scouts generally preferred Noguera to Blanco, with the Rockies expected to sign both of them.

Angel Macuare, rhp, Venezuela: Macuare stood out early on, reaching 93-94 mph last year and holding steady at the same peak velocity this year. He has good size (6-foot-2, 175 pounds) with strong hands and feel to spin a curveball. He’s a potential power arm, though scouts would like to see more feel for pitching and overall strike-throwing ability going forward. The Astros are expected to sign Macuare.

Juan Contreras, rhp, Dominican Republic: Like Macuare, Contreras has a big arm with potential to throw harder and questions about his pitchability. At 6-foot-1, 180 pounds, Contreras has one of the best fastballs in the class, ranging from 89-94 mph with downhill plane. Within the next few years, he could be throwing in the upper-90s. Contreras’ fastball is his best pitch, but the rest of his arsenal is inconsistent, as is his command. Contreras looks like he will sign with the Braves, who are expected to make him the top-paid pitcher in the class.

Michel Miliano, rhp, Dominican Republic: Miliano and Juan Contreras both train with Luis Mejia. Miliano doesn’t have the same high-octane fastball as Contreras, sitting at 87-90 mph and touching 92. That’s still a good fastball for a 16-year-old and there should be more coming once he fills out his 6-foot-3, 170-pound frame. He’s an athletic pitcher with strong shoulders who shows feel to spin a curveball that flashes average at times. The Padres are the favorites to sign Miliano.