Mauricio Llovera

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Philadelphia Phillies #30 prospect in 2021
  TRACK RECORD: Llovera first jumped on radars for his power fastball in 2017 and moved full-time into the rotation in 2018 at high Class A Clearwater. He pitched well there, but his fastball velocity decreased in 2019 at Double-A Reading and he missed part of the season with forearm tightness. Llovera spent most of 2020 at the Phillies alternate training site. He received his first major league callup on Sept. 6 and allowed five hits and four runs in his lone inning of work.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: After brushing 99 mph at his peak, Llovera's drop in velocity in 2019 was alarming and he did not come close to throwing as hard at either the alternate site or the majors. His fastball now averages 93 mph and tops out at 95. His average slider sits 80-83 mph and his changeup sits in the mid 80s with good deception and arm speed. Llovera creates good angle in his delivery and hides the ball well, but he has just fringe-average control.
  
  THE FUTURE: Llovera's fastball velocity will be something to monitor. He profiles as a middle reliever either way.
• 
  Ranked Philadelphia Phillies #25 prospect in 2020
  TRACK RECORD: Llovera was a revelation for the Phillies as he quickly went from low-cost $7,500 signing to one of the best arms in the system. Llovera sat in the mid-90s and touched 99 mph as a power reliever in 2017 then managed to retain that stuff as a starter in 2018. But his fastball backed up in 2019 and he ended up missing the second half of the season with forearm tightness.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Llovera sat 92-94 mph after flirting with triple digits in the past. He doesn't get a lot of extension or plane on his fastball and it's a low spin rate pitch that wasn't all that effective with less velocity. He relied more heavily on his plus changeup and average slider. He has fringe-average control.
  
  THE FUTURE: Llovera's forearm soreness is concerning, but the Phillies' decision to add him to the 40-man roster was a strong vote of confidence. Most likely, he will move to the bullpen in the long-term.
• 
  Ranked Philadelphia Phillies #13 prospect in 2019
  Track Record: Llovera was an 18-year-old in Venezuela when the Phillies signed him for $7,500. He developed into a power arm, moving to the bullpen to open 2017 with low Class A Lakewood, but shifted back to the rotation midway through the year and stayed in that role in 2018 with high Class A Clearwater.
  
  Scouting Report: Llovera generates big velocity from a smaller, stocky build with excellent arm speed, sitting in 93-97 mph with the ability to crank it up to 99 mph. His changeup improved in 2018, flashing as an average pitch when he maintains his arm speed, though it comes in firm off his fastball in the upper 80s. His slider also flashes average when he stays on top of the ball. Llovera's mechanics have a good dose of effort to them and his command is still shaky, so there's still a high probability he ends up in the bullpen.
  
  The Future: The Phillies will keep developing Llovera as a starter, with a chance he could fit into the back of a rotation, but he could be a late-inning reliever with a chance to reach Philadelphia in 2019. He's ticketed for Double-A Reading.
• 
  Ranked Philadelphia Phillies #30 prospect in 2018
  The Phillies have shown a knack for finding under-the-radar pitching prospects in Latin America. They signed Llovera for just $7,500 when he was an 18-year-old in Venezuela, and he's blossomed into one of the hardest throwers in the organization. A starter his first two years in the minors, Llovera opened 2017 in the bullpen at low Class A Lakewood, usually throwing multi-inning stints. In July he moved to the rotation and continued to blow his high-octane fastballs past hitters, then in the winter pitched out of the bullpen in the Venezuelan League. Llovera has a smaller, compact frame and quick arm to generate fastballs that sit in the mid-90s and can reach 99 mph. He shows feel to spin his breaking pitches, with a hard slider that's an average pitch and a curveball and changeup that are fringe-average. A lot of scouts think Llovera's future is in the bullpen, since he has a high-effort delivery and tends to overthrow, which costs him control, though the Phillies might keep developing him as a starter during 2018, when he will open with high Class A Clearwater.

• March, 2021 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: Llovera first jumped on radars for his power fastball in 2017 and moved full-time into the rotation in 2018 at high Class A Clearwater. He pitched well there, but his fastball velocity decreased in 2019 at Double-A Reading and he missed part of the season with forearm tightness. Llovera spent most of 2020 at the Phillies alternate training site. He received his first major league callup on Sept. 6 and allowed five hits and four runs in his lone inning of work.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: After brushing 99 mph at his peak, Llovera's drop in velocity in 2019 was alarming and he did not come close to throwing as hard at either the alternate site or the majors. His fastball now averages 93 mph and tops out at 95. His average slider sits 80-83 mph and his changeup sits in the mid 80s with good deception and arm speed. Llovera creates good angle in his delivery and hides the ball well, but he has just fringe-average control.
  
  THE FUTURE: Llovera's fastball velocity will be something to monitor. He profiles as a middle reliever either way.
• December, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: Llovera first jumped on radars for his power fastball in 2017 and moved full-time into the rotation in 2018 at high Class A Clearwater. He pitched well there, but his fastball velocity decreased in 2019 at Double-A Reading and he missed part of the season with forearm tightness. Llovera spent most of 2020 at the Phillies alternate training site. He received his first major league callup on Sept. 6 and allowed five hits and four runs in his lone inning of work.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: After brushing 99 mph at his peak, Llovera's drop in velocity in 2019 was alarming and he did not come close to throwing as hard at either the alternate site or the majors. His fastball now averages 93 mph and tops out at 95. His average slider sits 80-83 mph and his changeup sits in the mid 80s with good deception and arm speed. Llovera creates good angle in his delivery and hides the ball well, but he has just fringe-average control.
  
  THE FUTURE: Llovera's fastball velocity will be something to monitor. He profiles as a middle reliever either way.
• July, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: Llovera was a revelation for the Phillies as he quickly went from low-cost $7,500 signing to one of the best arms in the system. Llovera sat in the mid-90s and touched 99 mph as a power reliever in 2017 then managed to retain that stuff as a starter in 2018. But his fastball backed up in 2019 and he ended up missing the second half of the season with forearm tightness.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Llovera sat 92-94 mph after flirting with triple digits in the past. He doesn’t get a BA GRADE 45 Risk: High BA GRADE 40 Risk: Medium BA GRADE 45 Risk: Extreme lot of extension or plane on his fastball and it’s a low spin rate pitch that wasn’t all that effective with less velocity. He relied more heavily on his plus changeup and average slider. He has fringe-average control.
  
  THE FUTURE: Llovera’s forearm soreness is concerning, but the Phillies’ decision to add him to the 40-man roster was a strong vote of confidence. Most likely, he will move to the bullpen in the long-term.
• February, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: Llovera was a revelation for the Phillies as he quickly went from low-cost $7,500 signing to one of the best arms in the system. Llovera sat in the mid-90s and touched 99 mph as a power reliever in 2017 then managed to retain that stuff as a starter in 2018. But his fastball backed up in 2019 and he ended up missing the second half of the season with forearm tightness.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Llovera sat 92-94 mph after flirting with triple digits in the past. He doesn't get a lot of extension or plane on his fastball and it's a low spin rate pitch that wasn't all that effective with less velocity. He relied more heavily on his plus changeup and average slider. He has fringe-average control.
  
  THE FUTURE: Llovera's forearm soreness is concerning, but the Phillies' decision to add him to the 40-man roster was a strong vote of confidence. Most likely, he will move to the bullpen in the long-term.