Juan Salas Stats & Scouting Report

IP	52
ERA	4.5
WHIP	1.5
BB/9	4.154
SO/9	7.269

Full name Juan Salas
Born 11/07/1978 in Santo Domingo Centro, Dominican Republic
Profile Ht.: 6'2" / Wt.: 230 / Bats: R / Throws: R
School La Escuela De Mendoza
Debut 09/05/2006

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

Salas has spent parts of the past two seasons in the big leagues and has shown hints of success in 46 innings, just shy of MLB's rookie and BA's prospect limits. He broke camp with the Rays last year before being suspended for 50 games in May after testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance. After the suspension he tuned up in Double-A and Triple-A, then returned to the big leagues in late July and pitched well during the last two months. Signed for $600,000 as a third baseman, Salas hit an unimpressive .264 in his first six pro seasons. He also aged three years when his birthdate proved to be falsified, and he was suspended in 2004 after an encounter with an umpire. Upon his return, Salas moved to the mound and had extraordinary success, including a run of 481⁄3 straight innings without allowing an earned run to open the 2006 season. Salas is a power pitcher who features a mid-90s fastball with natural cutting action and a hard slider that sits in the mid-80s. His arm is loose and works easily, but he tends to lose consistency with his delivery, which affects his command. Still, Salas has low mileage on his arm and offers plenty of power in relief. He should be a mainstay in Tampa Bay bullpen this year.
Salas was as close to perfect as any reliever could be during the first three months of the 2006 season. The righthander didn't allow an earned run in 48 1/3 innings to start the year. When the streak ended on July 14, Salas recovered to record the last two outs of a combined no-hitter with Jason Hammel in his next outing. Salas has been a full-time pitcher for little more than two years, having signed for $600,000 as a third baseman and hitting .264/.296/.361 in his first six seasons in pro ball. He has had a much easier time preventing hits than he did collecting them, as hit .128 opponent average ranked second among minor league relievers in 2006. Salas has a mid-90s fastball with a natural cutting action that evokes comparisons to Mariano Rivera's out pitch. It moves so much that one scout called it "the best 95 mph slider I've ever seen." He succeeds mostly by overpowering hitters with his fastball, though he also has an actual mid-80s slider. A solid athlete with a long, loose arm action, Salas has low mileage on his arm and has made rapid strides in harnessing his control. His command needs improvement, as does his ability to repeat his delivery. But he could make the Tampa Bay bullpen in 2007 and emerge as the team's closer in the near future.
A coveted amateur free agent, Salas signed out of the Dominican Republic for $600,000 in 1998. He consistently showed an 80 arm on the 20-80 scouting scale at the hot corner, but his power never developed as expected. He batted .264 with 28 homers in six years before moving to the mound in mid-2004, and since then he has made rapid progress. Salas' arm has translated well to pitching, as he can overpower hitters with 91-96 mph heat. However, he's strictly a one-speed pitcher at this point. He has been tinkering with a hard slider that could develop into at least an average pitch down the road. Predictably, his overall pitching package is raw. He's still learning how to pitch inside and his control and delivery aren't consistent. He does show excellent body control, thanks in part to his days as an infielder. A return to Double-A to open 2006 is the most likely scenario for Salas.
Pushed to Charleston at the start of 2000 because Yurendell DeCaster was injured, Salas survived in the South Atlantic League before heading to the New York-Penn League in June. Already large, Salas is continuing to mature physically, which should enable him to hit for above-average power once his body fully develops. He also has a cannon attached to his right shoulder and good range at third base. His inexperience at the plate was apparent at times in the SAL, but he showed at Hudson Valley that he learned from his mistakes and took his game to a higher level by the end of the season. He still strikes out a lot because he is a free swinger. A native of the Dominican Republic, Salas had difficulty adjusting to life in the United States early in his career and displayed considerable immaturity. He has opened up to his teammates and the coaching staffs in the past year, which has coincided with his development on the diamond. Given his recent strides, Salas could move more rapidly through the organization this year, beginning with a possible jump to Bakersfield at the end of spring training.

Minor League Top Prospects

Signed as a third baseman out of the Dominican Republic for $600,000 in 1998, Salas was converted to the mound midway through 2004 after hitting .264/.296/.361 over six seasons. He hasn't looked back, putting up ridiculous numbers in the SL this season and adding a Futures Game appearance to his resume. He didn't allow an earned run in 35 innings with the Biscuits and reached the majors in September. Salas has equally ridiculous stuff, starting with a fastball that sits at 93-96 mph, topping out at 98. While the velocity is plus-plus, so is the movement. One scout described his heater as "the best 95-mph slider I've ever seen," as it has sharp, cutting action away from righthanders. Salas also throws an actual 86-87 mph slider that has more pronounced depth and life, and it can be equally as devastating. As good as those two pitches are, he's still learning how to attack hitters. His mechanics dissolve at times, as he flies open with his front shoulder and his arm gets too far away from his body.
Salas held his own as the youngest player in the league. He bypassed the Dominican Summer League and made his pro debut with Princeton. At his size, he could grow off shortstop but he has the potential to be a five-tool infielder. His most outstanding tool is his arm. "He's a very high-ceiling player," Princeton manager Bobby Ramos said. "He's got an unbelievable arm, an 80 arm. And he's got some pop."