Jose Ceda Stats & Scouting Report

IP	29
ERA	4.655
WHIP	1.621
BB/9	7.138
SO/9	9.31

Full name Jose Marti Ceda
Born 01/28/1987 in Santo Domingo Centro, Dominican Republic
Profile Ht.: 6'5" / Wt.: 280 / Bats: R / Throws: R
Debut 09/06/2010

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

Originally signed by the Padres in 2004, Ceda went to the Cubs in a 2006 trade for Todd Walker and came to the Marlins in a 2008 deal for Kevin Gregg. Managers rated Ceda the best relief prospect in the Triple-A Pacific Coast League in 2011, and he was making a case for a big league job last spring when he tore a ligament in his elbow and required Tommy John surgery. Before he got hurt, Ceda's fastball was clocked at 95-96. He also had a solid slider and added a splitter as to combat lefthanders. A lack of command has troubled him, though he did a better job of locating his pitches in 2011. Last year marked the second time in four seasons he had missed an entire campaign, as he spent 2009 working his way back from shoulder surgery. Conditioning has been an issue for him in the past. Ceda is on schedule to return this spring, though he'll need to build his arm back up in the minors before he's ready to help in Miami.
Originally signed by the Padres in 2004, Ceda went to the Cubs in a 2006 trade for Todd Walker and came to the Marlins in a 2008 deal for Kevin Gregg. After making his big league debut in September 2010, he took a step back last spring, showing up to camp overweight and getting held out of workouts. He recovered his mojo at New Orleans, where managers tabbed him the best relief prospect in the Pacific Coast League. Ceda's fastball touched 100 mph in the Cubs system and now sits at 95-96 mph, which is plenty. Command has been an issue in the past, but he was able to keep his fastball down in the zone much better as 2011, at least until he was called up. He also improved the location on his solid average slider. Ceda also will work in an occasional splitter, which has developed into a usable third pitch, particularly against lefties. Conditioning is always going to be a concern, and he missed all of 2009 following shoulder surgery. If he can command his pitches like he did in Triple-A last year, Ceda will win a big league bullpen job in spring training. His ceiling is that of a set-up man.
Originally signed by the Padres out of the Dominican Republic in 2004, Ceda moved to the Cubs two years later in a deal for Todd Walker, then came to Florida in a 2008 trade for Kevin Gregg. He sat out the 2009 season while rehabbing from shoulder surgery and threw his first official pitch as Marlins property last June. Though Ceda's fastball scraped 100 mph in the Cubs system, his peak with Florida has been 97 and he usually settles in at 95-96. He complements his heat with a solid-average slider that has good, late break when it's working. He needs to be more consistent with it, however. Ceda also began working on a splitter while rehabbing, though it's not effective yet. Control has been his nemesis, and it really got away from him following his brief big league callup last year. A big-bodied man, he showed more dedication to conditioning in 2010, but his flexibility always will be a concern. Opportunity abounds in the Marlins' bullpen, and Ceda will get every opportunity to win a job this spring. He must prove he can throw his slider for strikes, because his fastball alone isn't enough when big league hitters can sit on it.
The Marlins traded Kevin Gregg to the Cubs for Ceda in November 2008, and they have yet to see Ceda on the mound. Shut down after one brief outing in winter ball in his native Dominican Republic, he experienced shoulder problems early in his first Marlins spring training. This shouldn't have been a shock, considering he missed two months with shoulder stiffness in 2007, shortly after Chicago had acquired him in a mid-2006 deal that sent Todd Walker to the Padres. Ceda eventually had shoulder surgery, which is always a crapshoot, though Marlins officials hope he'll return early in 2010. They showed faith by adding him to the 40-man roster in November. At his best, Ceda's fastball sits at 95-97 mph and touches 100. He also has shown a hard slider that can be overpowering at times. Before mid-2008, Ceda split his time between starting and relieving. He has been much more dominant out of the bullpen, where his lack of an effective changeup or sharp control isn't as much of a handicap. With his hulking frame and power repertoire, he has drawn comparisons to a young Lee Smith or Armando Benitez. Ceda's conditioning was a problem even before his surgery and will remain a concern going forward.
It's rare for a young power arm like Ceda to get traded twice in two years, but that was the case when the Marlins somehow acquired him for Kevin Gregg in November. Chicago had stolen him from the Padres in a mid-2006 deal for Todd Walker. His hulking frame and power repertoire have earned him comparisons to Lee Smith and Armando Benitez. Ceda's fastball sits at 95-97 mph and touches 100, and he also flashes a hard slider that can be overpowering. He moved to the bullpen for good in June, and he has a 2.12 ERA, .149 opponent average and 14.1 strikeouts per nine innings in that role over the last two years. Ceda's command and control are inconsistent because he doesn't always repeat his delivery well. Escogido dropped him in the Dominican League this winter after he walked two batters and threw a wild pitch without recording an out in his lone outing. His changeup was a weak third pitch, though he doesn't need it now as a reliever. Durability has been an issue, though more when he was a starter. He missed two months with a stiff shoulder in 2007. His weight remains a concern and likely always will for such a large man. He'll get every opportunity to break camp with the Marlins in 2009. He likely would start out by setting up young closer Matt Lindstrom, but some believe it's only a matter of time before the job is Ceda's.
Cubs special assistant Steve Hinton spotted Ceda in Padres instructional league camp in 2005, and Chicago grabbed him in a deal for Todd Walker in mid-2006. Ceda opened 2007 as a starter in low Class A before missing two months with shoulder stiffness. He returned as a reliever in mid-July and didn't allow a hit, striking out 42 in 23 innings in that role. The Cubs could have another Lee Smith on their hands. When he came out of the bullpen, Ceda's fastball sat in the mid-90s and reached 99 mph. His slider also tightened up and could be a 65 pitch on the 20-80 scouting scale. Ceda is still figuring out his mechanics, so his control and command are erratic. He carried 280 pounds when he arrived in the trade, and he needs to keep the extra weight off so that he can repeat his delivery. He doesn't have much of a changeup and didn't hold up well as a starter, but those aren't issues now that he's a reliever. Chicago may jump Ceda to Double-A Tennessee so he can face better hitters. He has big league stuff and will head to Wrigley Field once he figures out how to locate his pitches better.

Minor League Top Prospects

Ceda did nothing to dissuade the Lee Smith comparisons he brought with him to the FSL. His numbers in Daytona weren't impressive, but that's largely a sign that he's not a starter. The Cubs knew that but put him in the rotation so he'd be forced to work on his secondary pitches, command and mental approach. Ceda's fastball sits at 95-97 mph and touches 100. He also has a power slider that can be unhittable at times. He threw a changeup as a starter, but he junked it when he moved back to the bullpen in June and he won't need it as a big league reliever. He sometimes hooks his arm in the back of his motion, which affects his command, but Ceda sharpened his mechanics once he moved back to the bullpen. His massive size and conditioning concerns shouldn't be as much of a problem for a reliever. He still gets rattled at times, but it's just a matter of his maturity catching up to his fastball. He still projects to be a big league closer.
Alert scouting allowed the Cubs to steal Ceda from the Padres last year. Chicago spotted him during spring training, then plucked him out of the Rookie-level Arizona League in a July trade for Todd Walker, who lasted all of 44 games in San Diego. When he wasn't sidelined for two months with shoulder stiffness, Ceda was the most overpowering pitcher in the MWL, holding opponents to a .093 average and one homer while striking out 66 in 46 innings. He works in the mid-90s and tops out at 98 mph with his fastball, and hitters can't cheat to catch up to it because he'll make them look silly with his tight slider. His stuff and his 6-foot-5, 247-pound frame earned him comparisons to Lee Smith and Armando Benitez. He's still figuring out his mechanics and his control, and it's easier to envision Ceda as a late-inning reliever and possibly a closer than as a frontline starter. But as the NL scout said, "You don't have to project him because he has big league stuff already."
Ceda started his AZL season with the Padres but came to the Cubs in the Todd Walker trade. He was one of the league's hardest throwers in either uniform, peaking at 96 mph and sitting in the low 90s. He's also notable for his size, standing 6-foot-4 and carrying as many as 60 pounds more than his listed weight of 205. His secondary pitches and his control lag behind his fastball, leading several managers to project him as more of a reliever down the line.