Junior Fernandez

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked St. Louis Cardinals #23 prospect in 2021
  TRACK RECORD: Fernandez had a breakout season in 2019, when he leapt from high Class A to the majors. He made his MLB debut in August. He made the Cardinals' 2020 Opening Day rotation, but soon tested positive for Covid-19. He returned to action in September, then tried to make up for lost time by pitching in the Dominican League.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Fernandez's stuff took a step back in 2020, which is troubling because his plus fastball has long paved his way to the majors. In 2019, Fernandez sat at 95-97 mph and bumped 99. In 2020, he sat at 93-95 mph and touched 97 once. Fernandez does not locate his fringe-average downerbreaking slider very well, and his above-average changeup is not as effective when paired with a less hairy fastball. His swing-and-miss rate in his admittedly short MLB stints dropped by half from 2019 to 2020. Fernandez's control is fringe-average, but his command wavers. He needs to get his fastball back or improve his slider to have success.
  
  THE FUTURE: Fernandez did struggle in 2020, but his 2019 season was excellent, and his bout with the coronavirus explains some of his setback. He will compete for a spot in the Cardinals bullpen in 2021.
• 
  Ranked St. Louis Cardinals #13 prospect in 2020
  TRACK RECORD: Fernandez grew up in Miami but moved to the Dominican Republic in high school so he could sign for more money as an international free agent. The Cardinals signed him for $400,000. Fernandez's career got off to a fast start, but shoddy control and repeated arm injuries halted his rise and forced him to move to the bullpen. He logged a 1.52 ERA over 45 appearance across three levels in 2019 and made his major league debut in August.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Fernandez is a high-octane righthander with a 95-97 mph fastball with heavy sink. He was previously over-reliant on his fastball and got hit, so the Cardinals implored him to use his secondaries more last season. Fernandez's plus mid-80s changeup with armside fade is a swing-and-miss offering, and his hard, upper 80s slider improved to begin flashing plus. Fernandez's control is below-average, but he was far more effective with a better pitch mix.
  
  THE FUTURE: Fernandez has the stuff to pitch in late relief. He'll be in the Cardinals bullpen in 2020.
• 
  Ranked St. Louis Cardinals #20 prospect in 2018
  Fernandez played high school ball in the U.S. at Miami's Varela High before moving with his family to the Dominican Republic in 2013. He signed with the Cardinals for $400,000 as an international free agent one year later. After a quick initial rise, Fernandez hit a speed bump in his development at high Class A. He had a middling performance in his third stint at the level in 2017, and was pulled from a July 26 start with arm soreness and did not return the rest of the season. Fernandez is yet another Latin American flamethrower in the Cardinals system. He comfortably sits 94-95 mph as a starter and can reach back for 99. However, Fernandez is more thrower than pitcher, with a violent delivery that yields poor control, and he doesn't have consistent secondaries to complement his fastball. Evaluators see his slider as a well below-average pitch, while his changeup flashes plus but he doesn't use it effectively. Fernandez's future is in the bullpen, but the Cardinals will continue starting him to give him more innings to work on all the things he needs to. A move to Double-A Springfield is likely in 2018 if Fernandez is healthy.
• 
  Ranked St. Louis Cardinals #21 prospect in 2017
  Fernandez played for Miami's Varela High before his family moved back to the Dominican in April 2013, freeing him from the amateur draft and allowing him to land a $400,000 bonus from the Cardinals. Fernandez blazed into the top 10 a year ago with a fastball that delighted radar guns, chugging at 94-99 mph and touching 100 mph. He complemented it with a sinker, an advanced and tumbling changeup, and a peripheral slider with improved tilt. The pitches alone did equal success at high Class A. While carved from the same athletic mold as other Cardinals power pitchers, Fernandez has a violent delivery that rattles loose. Scouts see a pitcher who would respond to trouble by throwing harder, then hardest, and rarely more accurately. He can overpower hitters, but must improve on doing so with pitches in the zone. Fernandez pitches with a reliever's assertiveness, a reliever's speed-slider combo, and he could see late-inning work at Double-A this summer.
• 
  Ranked St. Louis Cardinals #9 prospect in 2016
  Like Alex Reyes, Fernandez signed out of the Dominican Republic but has roots in the U.S. He attended Miami's Varela High and played prep baseball before his entire family moved back to the D.R. in April 2013. He signed a year later for $400,000 and pitched well enough to finish his first full pro season at high Class A Palm Beach. The Cardinals had Fernandez "jump the fence" from their Rookie-level Gulf Coast League team to Palm Beach because of his fastball. Multiple reports have Fernandez reaching 100 mph thanks to his fast arm and twitchy athleticism. He's still raw, though he's much more controlled in his delivery now than he was prior to signing, and he has improved his feel for the strike zone. Fernandez's changeup flashes plus thanks to its excellent late tumble, with some scouts giving it future double-plus grades. His slider is his third-best pitch but has short break and enough tilt to be a solid-average breaking ball. Fernandez pitches with energy and emotion that he must harness to remain a starting pitcher. Fernandez has a starter's pitch mix and athleticism with a reliever's energy and aggressiveness. The Cardinals will give him every chance to start, though, and if he continues to refine his delivery, he could dominate at low Class A Peoria in 2016.

Minor League Top Prospects

• 
  Ranked Florida Complex League #13 prospect in 2015
  Like GCL teammate Sandy Alcantara, Fernandez signed with the Cardinals out of the program of Dominican trainer Felix Liriano. Fernandez took a more unusual path to signing. He went to high school in Miami and played JV baseball, but in April 2013 he moved with his family to the Dominican Republic in part for him to pursue baseball. After Fernandez saw his fastball rise to 93 mph last year as a 17-year-old, he signed with the Cardinals for $400,000. When Fernandez pitched in the Dominican Summer League last year, his fastball jumped up to 95-96 mph. It continued to gain velocity this summer, when he threw 94-98 mph and reached 100. It's an electric fastball that gets swings and misses in the zone. He also throws a plus changeup that flashes double-plus with outstanding movement. He scrapped a slurvy curveball and now throws a slider with short tilt, sometimes at hard as the low 90s. It's a below-average pitch and a focal point for his development. Fernandez is a quick-twitch athlete who has improved his control, though he still needs to tighten his fastball command. He's an intense, high-energy and emotionally charged pitcher with an aggressive delivery, so some think his ultimate role could be reliever. The Cardinals even gave Fernandez a taste of full-season action with two appearances at high Class A Palm Beach after the GCL season.

• March, 2021 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: Fernandez had a breakout season in 2019, when he leapt from high Class A to the majors. He made his MLB debut in August. He made the Cardinals' 2020 Opening Day rotation, but soon tested positive for Covid-19. He returned to action in September, then tried to make up for lost time by pitching in the Dominican League.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Fernandez's stuff took a step back in 2020, which is troubling because his plus fastball has long paved his way to the majors. In 2019, Fernandez sat at 95-97 mph and bumped 99. In 2020, he sat at 93-95 mph and touched 97 once. Fernandez does not locate his fringe-average downerbreaking slider very well, and his above-average changeup is not as effective when paired with a less hairy fastball. His swing-and-miss rate in his admittedly short MLB stints dropped by half from 2019 to 2020. Fernandez's control is fringe-average, but his command wavers. He needs to get his fastball back or improve his slider to have success.
  
  THE FUTURE: Fernandez did struggle in 2020, but his 2019 season was excellent, and his bout with the coronavirus explains some of his setback. He will compete for a spot in the Cardinals bullpen in 2021.
• December, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: Fernandez had a breakout season in 2019, when he leapt from high Class A to the majors. He made his MLB debut in August. He made the Cardinals' 2020 Opening Day rotation, but soon tested positive for Covid-19. He returned to action in September, then tried to make up for lost time by pitching in the Dominican League.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Fernandez's stuff took a step back in 2020, which is troubling because his plus fastball has long paved his way to the majors. In 2019, Fernandez sat at 95-97 mph and bumped 99. In 2020, he sat at 93-95 mph and touched 97 once. Fernandez does not locate his fringe-average downerbreaking slider very well, and his above-average changeup is not as effective when paired with a less hairy fastball. His swing-and-miss rate in his admittedly short MLB stints dropped by half from 2019 to 2020. Fernandez's control is fringe-average, but his command wavers. He needs to get his fastball back or improve his slider to have success.
  
  THE FUTURE: Fernandez did struggle in 2020, but his 2019 season was excellent, and his bout with the coronavirus explains some of his setback. He will compete for a spot in the Cardinals bullpen in 2021.
• July, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: Fernandez grew up in Miami but moved to the Dominican Republic in high school so he could sign as an international free agent. The Cardinals signed him for for $400,000. Fernandez’s career got off to a fast start, but shoddy control and repeated arm injuries halted his rise and forced him BA GRADE 45 Risk: Medium BA GRADE 50 Risk: High BA GRADE 45 Risk: Medium to move to the bullpen. He logged a 1.52 ERA over 45 appearance across three levels in 2019 and made his major league debut in August.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Fernandez is a high-octane righthander with a 95-97 mph fastball with heavy sink. He was previously over-reliant on his fastball and got hit, so the Cardinals implored him to use his secondaries more last season. Fernandez’s plus mid-80s changeup with armside fade is a swing-and-miss offering, and his hard, upper 80s slider improved to begin flashing plus. Fernandez’s control is below-average, but he was far more effective with a better pitch mix.
  
  THE FUTURE: Fernandez has the stuff to pitch in late relief. He’ll be in the Cardinals bullpen in 2020.
• February, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: Fernandez grew up in Miami but moved to the Dominican Republic in high school so he could sign for more money as an international free agent. The Cardinals signed him for $400,000. Fernandez's career got off to a fast start, but shoddy control and repeated arm injuries halted his rise and forced him to move to the bullpen. He logged a 1.52 ERA over 45 appearance across three levels in 2019 and made his major league debut in August.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Fernandez is a high-octane righthander with a 95-97 mph fastball with heavy sink. He was previously over-reliant on his fastball and got hit, so the Cardinals implored him to use his secondaries more last season. Fernandez's plus mid-80s changeup with armside fade is a swing-and-miss offering, and his hard, upper 80s slider improved to begin flashing plus. Fernandez's control is below-average, but he was far more effective with a better pitch mix.
  
  THE FUTURE: Fernandez has the stuff to pitch in late relief. He'll be in the Cardinals bullpen in 2020.