Ron Chiavacci

Organization Prospect Rankings

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  Ranked Washington Nationals #30 prospect in 2003
  After leading the Eastern League in strikeouts in 2001 while setting the Harrisburg franchise record, Chiavacci regressed in 2002. That led to Montreal's decision to designate him for assignment when it needed roster space after picking up three big leaguers for Bartolo Colon in January. A stocky righthander with a strong lower half, he struggled with his control and was converted from a starter to a reliever in June. Chiavacci has a power arm and all four of his pitches are better than average at times. He has a lively 91-95 mph fastball and uses a late-breaking slider as his out pitch. He also throws a downer curveball and a changeup. Chiavacci runs into trouble because he has a lengthy arm action that leads to an inconsistent release point and command. He'll try to smooth out his mechanics this year in Triple-A.
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  Ranked Washington Nationals #18 prospect in 2002
  Chiavacci doesn't have the typical prospect background, coming out of NCAA Division II Kutztown (Pa.) University as a 44th-round pick. But he's making a name for himself, leading the Double-A Eastern League and setting a Harrisburg franchise record with 161 strikeouts last year. His 3-11, 3.97 record hardly was reflective of his performance, as his teammates supplied him with three or fewer runs in 20 of his 25 starts. Chiavacci comes right after batters with a four-pitch mix. His best pitch is an overpowering 91-95 mph fastball than runs in on righthanders. He complements it with a 77-78 mph curve, an 82-83 mph slider and a deceptive changeup. His slider is still developing, as he occasionally will drop his arm slot and cause it to flatten out, and he needs to improve his command. He'll work on those things in Triple-A this year.