A.J. Vanegas
| IP | 92 |
|---|---|
| ERA | 2.641 |
| WHIP | 1.293 |
| BB/9 | 5.283 |
| SO/9 | 8.413 |
- Full name Albert J. Vanegas
- Born 08/16/1992 in Alameda, CA
- Profile Ht.: 6'3" / Wt.: 215 / Bats: R / Throws: R
- School Stanford
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Drafted in the 11th round (339th overall) by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2014 (signed for $100,000).
View Draft Report
It's finally time for Vanegas to start his professional career. He'll be drafted for a third time this year, after turning down the Padres as a seventh-rounder in 2010 (with a bonus offer approaching $2 million) and the Athletics as a 19th-round pick last year, following a junior season when he had surgery to repair a herniated disc in his back and a bout with mononucleosis. He was limited by his back again early in 2014 and has pitched just 141 innings in four seasons for Stanford. Approaching the draft Vanegas looked healthy and showed the two plus pitches scouts have loved since high school: a fastball that reaches 97 mph and a power breaking ball, which at times is a true slider and at others is more of a cutter. He has some feel for pitching from his work as a starter, but he hasn't been as consistent with his breaking ball this season. Vanegas' 6-foot-3, 215-pound frame and plus stuff once tempted scouts with Brandon Morrow comparisons, but he's purely a reliever now. If a team is comfortable with his health, he fits in the third round as a fast-moving reliever and budget pick as a senior.
Top Rankings
Organization Prospect Rankings
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The Padres drafted Vanegas in the seventh round in 2011 and offered him a bonus that approached $2 million, but he turned them down to stay in state to play at Stanford. His stock fell after his junior season when mononucleosis and surgery to repair a herniated disc in his back limited him to nine innings. Back problems hampered Vanegas again as a senior in 2014, when he threw 41 innings and signed with the Dodgers for $100,000 in the 11th round. Exclusively a reliever his final two seasons at Stanford, Vanegas pitched in the bullpen in his pro debut and will stay there. He throws two plus pitches, with a 93-97 mph fastball and a power slider, though at times his slider shortens up and becomes flat like a cutter. He doesn't show much of a third pitch, but he only needs two as a reliever. His pitchability and control are understandably behind for his age given the time he's missed. Health will dictate Vanegas' 2015 assignment.
Draft Prospects
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It's finally time for Vanegas to start his professional career. He'll be drafted for a third time this year, after turning down the Padres as a seventh-rounder in 2010 (with a bonus offer approaching $2 million) and the Athletics as a 19th-round pick last year, following a junior season when he had surgery to repair a herniated disc in his back and a bout with mononucleosis. He was limited by his back again early in 2014 and has pitched just 141 innings in four seasons for Stanford. Approaching the draft Vanegas looked healthy and showed the two plus pitches scouts have loved since high school: a fastball that reaches 97 mph and a power breaking ball, which at times is a true slider and at others is more of a cutter. He has some feel for pitching from his work as a starter, but he hasn't been as consistent with his breaking ball this season. Vanegas' 6-foot-3, 215-pound frame and plus stuff once tempted scouts with Brandon Morrow comparisons, but he's purely a reliever now. If a team is comfortable with his health, he fits in the third round as a fast-moving reliever and budget pick as a senior. -
When the Padres realized they wouldn't be able to sign first-round pick Karsten Whitson in 2010, they turned their focus to Vanegas--a seventh-round pick out of high school in San Lorenzo, Calif.--but failed there too, as he turned down nearly $2 million to head to Stanford. He pitched primarily out of the bullpen during his freshman and sophomore seasons, then excited scouts last summer in the Cape Cod League when he touched 97 mph and tightened up his power slider. He has not been able to build on that this spring, however, missing the first part of the season after surgery to repair a herniated disc, then making seven relief appearances before being sidelined with mononucleosis. Vanegas offers two plus pitches with his fastball and slider, but he has spent little time with a changeup. A team may give him a chance to start, but many scouts feel he's better suited at the back of a bullpen.
