Javier Atencio Stats & Scouting Report

IP	175
ERA	4.783
WHIP	1.509
BB/9	4.937
SO/9	10.337

Full name Javier Alexander Atencio
Born 11/26/2001 in Ocumare Del Tuy, Venezuela
Profile Ht.: 6'0" / Wt.: 160 / Bats: L / Throws: L

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

BA Grade/Risk: 45/High

Track Record: Atencio's development has been a slow burn since he signed out of Venezuela at age 16 in 2018. He spent 2019 and 2021 in the Dominican Summer League, sandwiched around the lost 2020. Atencio flashed promise in his second DSL summer, ranking second with 76 strikeouts. He made his U.S. debut in 2022 when he joined Low-A St. Lucie on May 24, but his season was limited to 43.2 innings by a bout with Covid.

Scouting Report: Atencio is an athletic lefthander with solid velocity, feel for spin and a developing changeup. He pitches in the low 90s and tops at 95 mph with his four-seam fastball, using it to set up effective secondary weapons. His high-70s slider has slurvy shape and is his most reliable bat-missing pitch. Atencio used his changeup more often in 2022 and gained more confidence in the pitch.

The Future: Evaluating Atencio was a difficult task because of all the missed time. Most see him as a future reliever or No. 5 starter if everything breaks right.

Scouting Grades: Fastball: 55. Slider: 50. Changeup: 40. Control: 40.
Track Record: The Mets signed Atencio as a 16-year-old in 2018, and while he hasn’t yet advanced beyond the Dominican Summer League, he showed promise in 2021. The 19-year-old lefty ranked second in the DSL with 76 strikeouts and seventh with a 1.58 ERA. Had it not been so difficult to transfer players in the time of Covid, the Mets probably would have brought Atencio to the U.S.

Scouting Report: Atencio tops out at 96 mph and throws a power curveball, while his north-south approach proved to be too much for DSL hitters to handle. They hit just .171. Atencio pitches at 92 mph with plus ride characteristics up in the zone. He complements that with a breaking pitch that pairs slider velocity—nearly 80 mph—with more of a curveball shape. He commands the pitch well and generated one of the higher whiff rates in the minor leagues by burying it effectively. He doesn’t really throw a changeup at this stage, preferring to change speeds with his curve that ranges from the mid 70s to low 80s.

The Future: The emergence of Atencio and Luis Rodriguez in 2021 gave the Mets some much-needed lefthanded presence. Atencio will probably get a shot in full-season ball in 2022 and has rotation upside.

Scouting Reports

BA Grade/Risk: 45/High

Track Record: Atencio's development has been a slow burn since he signed out of Venezuela at age 16 in 2018. He spent 2019 and 2021 in the Dominican Summer League, sandwiched around the lost 2020. Atencio flashed promise in his second DSL summer, ranking second with 76 strikeouts. He made his U.S. debut in 2022 when he joined Low-A St. Lucie on May 24, but his season was limited to 43.2 innings by a bout with Covid.

Scouting Report: Atencio is an athletic lefthander with solid velocity, feel for spin and a developing changeup. He pitches in the low 90s and tops at 95 mph with his four-seam fastball, using it to set up effective secondary weapons. His high-70s slider has slurvy shape and is his most reliable bat-missing pitch. Atencio used his changeup more often in 2022 and gained more confidence in the pitch.

The Future: Evaluating Atencio was a difficult task because of all the missed time. Most see him as a future reliever or No. 5 starter if everything breaks right.

Scouting Grades: Fastball: 55. Slider: 50. Changeup: 40. Control: 40.
BA Grade/Risk: 45/High

Track Record: Atencio's development has been a slow burn since he signed out of Venezuela at age 16 in 2018. He spent 2019 and 2021 in the Dominican Summer League, sandwiched around the lost 2020. Atencio flashed promise in his second DSL summer, ranking second with 76 strikeouts. He made his U.S. debut in 2022 when he joined Low-A St. Lucie on May 24, but his season was limited to 43.2 innings by a bout with Covid.

Scouting Report: Atencio is an athletic lefthander with solid velocity, feel for spin and a developing changeup. He pitches in the low 90s and tops at 95 mph with his four-seam fastball, using it to set up effective secondary weapons. His high-70s slider has slurvy shape and is his most reliable bat-missing pitch. Atencio used his changeup more often in 2022 and gained more confidence in the pitch.

The Future: Evaluating Atencio was a difficult task because of all the missed time. Most see him as a future reliever or No. 5 starter if everything breaks right.

Scouting Grades: Fastball: 55. Slider: 50. Changeup: 40. Control: 40.
BA Grade: 45/High

Track Record: The Mets signed Atencio as a 16-year-old in 2018, and while he hasn&#39t yet advanced beyond the Dominican Summer League, he showed promise in 2021. The 19-year-old lefty ranked second in the DSL with 76 strikeouts and seventh with a 1.58 ERA. Had it not been so difficult to transfer players in the time of Covid, the Mets probably would have brought Atencio to the U.S.

Scouting Report: Atencio tops out at 96 mph and throws a power curveball, while his north-south approach proved to be too much for DSL hitters to handle. They hit just .171. Atencio pitches at 92 mph with plus ride characteristics up in the zone. He complements that with a breaking pitch that pairs slider velocity—nearly 80 mph—with more of a curveball shape. He commands the pitch well and generated one of the higher whiff rates in the minor leagues by burying it effectively. He doesn&#39t really throw a changeup at this stage, preferring to change speeds with his curve that ranges from the mid 70s to low 80s.

The Future: The emergence of Atencio and Luis Rodriguez in 2021 gave the Mets some much-needed lefthanded presence. Atencio will probably get a shot in full-season ball in 2022 and has rotation upside.
Track Record: The Mets signed Atencio as a 16-year-old in 2018, and while he hasn’t yet advanced beyond the Dominican Summer League, he showed promise in 2021. The 19-year-old lefty ranked second in the DSL with 76 strikeouts and seventh with a 1.58 ERA. Had it not been so difficult to transfer players in the time of Covid, the Mets probably would have brought Atencio to the U.S.

Scouting Report: Atencio tops out at 96 mph and throws a power curveball, while his north-south approach proved to be too much for DSL hitters to handle. They hit just .171. Atencio pitches at 92 mph with plus ride characteristics up in the zone. He complements that with a breaking pitch that pairs slider velocity—nearly 80 mph—with more of a curveball shape. He commands the pitch well and generated one of the higher whiff rates in the minor leagues by burying it effectively. He doesn’t really throw a changeup at this stage, preferring to change speeds with his curve that ranges from the mid 70s to low 80s.

The Future: The emergence of Atencio and Luis Rodriguez in 2021 gave the Mets some much-needed lefthanded presence. Atencio will probably get a shot in full-season ball in 2022 and has rotation upside.