Hector Ambriz
| IP | 106 |
|---|---|
| ERA | 5.349 |
| WHIP | 1.679 |
| BB/9 | 3.736 |
| SO/9 | 7.387 |
- Full name Hector Ambriz
- Born 05/24/1984 in Orange, CA
- Profile Ht.: 6'2" / Wt.: 235 / Bats: L / Throws: R
- School UCLA
- Debut 04/30/2010
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Drafted in the 5th round (147th overall) by the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2006 (signed for $160,000).
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Ambriz has been the Bruins' Friday starter and cleanup hitter this season, making him one of the nation's most valuable college players. While he has a decent lefthanded bat, Ambriz' future is on the mound. He's a physical righthander who holds his solid-average stuff deep into games and competes well. Ambriz needs to trust his fastball more. It sits in the 91-92 mph range, and he does of a good job of keeping it in the lower half of the strike zone. He has several secondary pitches that could work well in the bullpen, including an 82-84 mph slider that at times has good depth. His 86-87 mph split-finger fastball has been his put-away pitch when he's been able to command it. Ambriz also toys with a curveball and changeup. Ambriz had shoulder surgery that prompted him to take a medical redshirt in 2004 but has held up under the strain of hitting and pitching this season. His body also will require hard work to keep in shape, as he has a tendency to gain weight.
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Organization Prospect Rankings
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Ambriz was one of seven Visalia players (including Brett Anderson) involved in an August car accident that forced the postponement of an Oaks game, but he wasn't injured. It was a bit of good fortune for a player who battled injuries throughout his college career, though Ambriz has been healthy as a pro and was a workhorse in the Visalia rotation. He finished fourth in the California League in strikeouts (133 in 150 innings) and sixth in ERA (4.08). He also won both of his postseason starts, running his innings total to 165 in his first full season. Ambriz throws three pitches for strikes, including a fastball that sits in the low 90s, a splitter and a curveball. His changeup made progress last season to potentially give him a fourth pitch. Scouts, however, don't like his arm action or his big body, and they worry that only his splitter will remain effective at higher levels. He'll also have to tighten up his control against more advanced hitters. Ambriz certainly looked the part of a middle-of-the-rotation workhorse last season, and he'll try to show that again in Double-A. -
Ambriz was a two-way star for UCLA after having shoulder surgery in 2004, batting cleanup and serving as the Bruins' Friday starter, but his pro future was always on the mound. After signing for $160,000 as a fifth-rounder, he emerged as the best pitching prospect at Missoula, working as a swingman and getting the save in the clinching game of the Pioneer League playoffs. While he had a controlled workload after pitching 113 innings for UCLA in the spring, Ambriz will work as a starter in 2007 because he has three pitches he can throw for strikes. His fastball sits in the low 90s and touches 95 mph at times, he has a splitter in the mid-80s that has the potential to be a plus pitch, and he made a lot of progress in tightening his curveball. He did a good job of keeping the ball down in his first summer, and scouts have been impressed with his feel for pitching and willingness to compete. His biggest weakness is a changeup that's still a ways off from being an effective pitch. Health is also an issue; he had shoulder surgery as a freshman with the Bruins, and his body is such that he'll have to work hard to keep in shape. Ambriz will move into full-season ball at one of Arizona's Class A stops, and if he doesn't pan out as a starter he should be an effective reliever.
Minor League Top Prospects
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Ambriz had shoulder surgery in 2004, then returned to star as a two-way player for UCLA the last two seasons. The Diamondbacks drafted him solely as a pitcher, and in his first pro summer he excelled as a swingman and earned the save in the clinching game of the Pioneer League playoffs. Arizona wants Ambriz to pitch off his fastball, and when he worked in shorter outings than he did as a college starter, his heater sat at 91-93 mph and touched 95. He also did a better job of keeping the ball down in the strike zone than he did at UCLA, with his mid-80s splitter resulting in a lot of groundballs. Ambriz also tightened his curveball. His curve and his changeup are still inconsistent, and he'll need to further develop them to succeed when he becomes a full-time starter next season.
