Sandy Rosario

Organization Prospect Rankings

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  Ranked Miami Marlins #29 prospect in 2012
  Rosario led minor league relievers with 125 strikeouts in 92 innings in 2010, spending most of the season in low Class A but finishing it in Florida. He again got a taste of the big leagues last fall, though his stat line wasn't nearly as gaudy as his previous campaign. Rosario fills the zone with 92-95 mph fastballs, reaching 97 at times, but his four-seamer is fairly straight. When he doesn't locate his heater where he wants to, it gets hit. He's working on a two-seamer that should have more life. Rosario's low-80s slider gives him a potentially solid No. 2 pitch, but he lacks a true offspeed offering to disrupt hitters' timing. Scouts have expressed concern with his long arm action, which interferes with his command and gives hitters a good look at his pitches. A closer in 2011, he profiles more as a seventh-inning arm in the majors. Rosario will contend for a big league job this spring but may need more time in Triple-A.
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  Ranked Miami Marlins #21 prospect in 2011
  Rosario missed most of the 2007 and 2008 seasons with an elbow injury, but he has made up for lost time since. He led minor league full-time relievers with 125 strikeouts in 92 innings last year, when he began the season in low Class A and ended it in Florida. Two of his first three major league pitches left the yard, and he served up hits to the first five Brewers he faced before recording an out. In his next outing he surrendered four hits and a walk before getting hooked. Still, the progress he made was unmistakable. For someone with a 96-97 mph fastball, Rosario throws a ton of strikes--maybe too many. His 125-17 K-BB ratio was exceptional, but he needs to command his fastball better within the strike zone. Someone with his heat shouldn't give up more than a hit per inning. He also flashes a plus slider that reaches 90 mph, but it's inconsistent. It flattens out when he doesn't stay on top of the ball. He'll show a changeup occasionally, but shies away from it because his other pitches are better. While he pitched in a variety of roles last year, even closing for Jacksonville in the Southern League playoffs, Rosario is best suited for the seventh or eighth inning in the big leagues. He should return to Double-A to open 2011.