Daniel Herrera

Organization Prospect Rankings

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  Ranked Texas Rangers #28 prospect in 2007
  When the Rangers were planning their draft, one of their scouts called in and announced over the speakerphone that Herrera can get Albert Pujols out right now, and the room erupted with laughter. No one was laughing after Herrera's tour de force debut, during which he silenced the bats of the offense-oriented California League. Herrera was already accustomed to thriving in harsh conditions, as he posted a 10-0, 2.24 record during his All-America senior season at New Mexico despite pitching in the high altitude of one of college baseball's best hitter's parks. Generously listed at 5-foot-7 and 145 pounds, Herrera may be the smallest pitcher ever drafted. He's also unique because he thrives with an 80-82 mph fastball that tops out at 84. Herrera can locate his fastball wherever he wants to, setting up batters for his changeup. It's a tumbler with true screwball action and arrives at 55-60 mph, making his fastball look an awful lot harder than it is. He also throws a sharp, late-breaking slider, and he mixes all of his pitches extremely well to keep hitters off balance. Nobody knows for sure whether Herrera will continue to have success at higher levels or if hitters will figure out his gimmick pitch and render him ineffective, but he'll likely get a chance to prove himself in Double-A this year.