Jose Casilla Stats & Scouting Report

IP	466
ERA	2.974
WHIP	1.24
BB/9	2.723
SO/9	6.528

Full name Jose Altagracia Casilla
Born 05/21/1989 in Bani, Dominican Republic
Profile Ht.: 6'1" / Wt.: 205 / Bats: R / Throws: R

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

Casilla's older brother Santiago won a World Series ring with the Giants while finally establishing himself as a valuable short reliever after parts of six seasons with the Athletics. The younger Casilla also had an impressive season and claimed a spot on the 40-man roster. He posted a 1.16 ERA in 46 games in low Class A, used mainly in the closer role, and didn't allow a home run. He doesn't quite have his brother's upper-90s velocity and his fastball is harder some days than others, but his two-seamer makes him a ground-ball machine. He posted a 2.53 groundout/airout ratio last year and induced nine double plays, and at times it sits at 90-93 mph. He throws an average to plus slider that he tends to overuse, and at times he mixes in a slower-breaking curve. He is less consistent from the stretch and must work harder to control opposing runners. He tends to snap his head during his delivery when he overthrows, a flaw he worked hard to address. The younger Casilla received his own postseason experience when San Francisco promoted him to high Class A for the Cal League playoffs. He might be a year or two away from figuring i
Casilla's brother Santiago has been a mainstay in the Athletics bullpen over the past three seasons. Jose bears similarities to his brother, who's nine years his elder, but the Giants aren't ruling out developing him as a starter. Casilla usually pitches at 92-94 mph coming out of the bullpen, but as with many young relievers, his velocity tends to vary from day to day. He dominated short-season Northwest League hitters last summer with his devastating slider, but he tends to fall in love with the pitch. Casilla gets distracted by runners and is less consistent from the stretch. He averaged 2.8 groundouts for every airout in 2009, which portends good things, and has given up just two homers in 131 pro innings. He has the most upside among an intriguing group of young Giants international pitchers that also includes the Bucardo brothers, Jorge and Wilber, and Edward Concepcion. San Francisco will test Casilla's durability and consistency in low Class A this year.

Minor League Top Prospects

Casilla pitched only six games because he came down with forearm tightness at midseason. But those who saw him proclaimed him one of the most intriguing pitching prospects in the league. Built like his brother Santiago, who pitches for the A's, Jose already has a 90-95 mph fastball with late sink. He may one day approach his brother's triple-digit velocity, and Jose already has better control. He pitches down in the strike zone from a low-three-quarters arm angle that gives righthanded hitters problems. Besides his fastball, he also has a hard, late-breaking slider and an improving changeup.