Rene Miniel
| IP | 488 |
|---|---|
| ERA | 3.928 |
| WHIP | 1.352 |
| BB/9 | 3.559 |
| SO/9 | 7.377 |
- Full name Rene Miniel
- Born 04/26/1979 in Santo Domingo Centro, Dominican Republic
- Profile Ht.: 6'2" / Wt.: 175 / Bats: R / Throws: R
Top Rankings
Organization Prospect Rankings
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Miniel entered 2002 as Boston's second-best pitching prospect, trailing only Seung Song, who went to the Expos as part of the Cliff Floyd trade in July. By then, Miniel's status had taken a major hit. During the spring, he turned out to be two years older than previously believed, making his strong 2001 showing in the low Class A South Atlantic League less impressive. Though his fastball reached the low 90s, it never returned to the 94-96 mph range he showed consistently in the SAL. He regressed with his secondary pitches, a curveball and a changeup, and didn't miss as many bats as he had in the past. Some Red Sox officials think he's destined for the bullpen, and he may move there in 2003 because the team plans on pushing many of its top pitching prospects to high Class A. Miniel still gets natural cutting action on his fastball and there's some hope his velocity will bounce back. Boston officials said he worked too hard the previous offseason and asked him to take this winter off. -
Miniel had two nearly identical seasons as a reliever in the GCL before opening 2001 in Augusta's bullpen. When lefthander Mauricio Lara succumbed to back problems, Miniel moved to the rotation and struggled. Then he went 6-2, 1.48 in his last 15 starts, including seven no-hit innings in an Aug. 25 win against Charleston, S.C. Miniel's 91-96 mph fastball rivals Manny Delcarmen's as the best in the system, and he has good command of his heat. At times, he shows a hard curveball that gives him a second plus pitch. He gave up just one homer last year and held both lefties and righties to a .211 average. He held up well over his first season as a starter. Miniel is still a thrower at this point. He sometimes loses the tightness on his curve, which breaks out of the strike zone. His changeup is very much a work in progress. After being kept on a short leash with pitch counts, he'll have to prove he can work deeper into games. Because he's so raw as a pitcher, Miniel will move slowly through the system. He should spend 2002 in high Class A.
