Hector Noesi Stats & Scouting Report

IP	423
ERA	5.511
WHIP	1.473
BB/9	3.404
SO/9	6.447

Full name Hector Noesí
Born 01/26/1987 in Esperanza Valverde Mao, Dominican Republic
Profile Ht.: 6'4" / Wt.: 220 / Bats: R / Throws: R
Debut 05/18/2011

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

Noesi had a solid 2009 season, earning a spot on New York's 40-man roster after missing parts of the previous two years following Tommy John surgery. He was even better last season, appearing in the Futures Game and leading Yankees farmhands with 153 strikeouts while reaching Triple-A for the first time. Noesi has the best command in the system, with just 43 walks in 277 innings over the last two seasons. He has a fluid, easy delivery and gets good extension out front, repeating his release point. He pounds the zone with an 89-93 mph fastball, reaching as high as 96. His maintains his velocity deep into games, and his fastball has some run and tail. Noesi's No. 2 pitch is a changeup with similar action, though he doesn't quite command it like his fastball. His curveball and slider remain below-average offerings, but he flashes the ability to spin the ball. He's athletic and fields his position well. Noesi lacks the breaking ball to pitch near the front of a rotation, but his fastball command should allow him to be a No. 4 or 5 starter for the Yankees if needed. He might help New York more as trade bait. If he's still a Yankee in 2011, he'll return to Scranton.
One of the best stories in the system last year, Noesi rebounded after missing parts of 2007 and 2008 because of Tommy John surgery. His stuff was as good as ever, and his command was surprisingly good for a pitcher who recently had his elbow reconstructed. He started 2009 in Charleston's bullpen before graduating into the rotation in May. He didn't give up a run in his first 27 1/3 innings last year, including seven no-hit frames against Lexington on May 13. After a successful promotion to high Class A, he was added to New York's 40-man roster. Noesi pounds the strike zone with three potential average pitches. His 88-92 mph fastball has good life up in the zone, and some scouts project more velocity because he has a low-effort delivery. He has good arm speed on his changeup and the hand speed to spin a breaking ball. His curveball got tighter in 2009, though it still gets loopy at times and isn't a strikeout pitch. Both should become average pitches. Noesi repeats his delivery and arm action, though they don't give him any deception. His 117 innings last season represented a career high, so he's far from ready to handle a major league workload, and his size raises doubts about his durability. He'll be part of the Trenton rotation in 2010.

Minor League Top Prospects

The Yankees protected Noesi on their 40-man roster last year even though he'd never pitched above high Class A. He rewarded them in 2010 by earning a Futures Game roster spot and finishing the season in Triple-A. While in Trenton, he outshined teammates with similar repertoires such as Adam Warren and David Phelps. Noesi has a loose, live arm and good command of his fastball, his best pitch. Scouts like how he manipulates his heater, adding and subtracting velocity from it, putting it where he wants despite its solid life and showing the ability to pitch to both sides of the plate. His two-seamer sits at 88-92 mph and he touches 96 with his four-seamer. Noesi throws both a curveball and a slider, with his curve showing more promise and some observers grading it an average pitch. His fringy changeup plays up because of his ability to use his fastball. After having Tommy John surgery in 2007 and coming down with shoulder tendinitis last year, he proved his durability by throwing a career-high 160 innings this season between his two minor league stops.