Pedro Fernandez

Organization Prospect Rankings

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  Ranked Kansas City Royals #18 prospect in 2016
  A bargain of a $45,000 signing out of the Dominican Republic, Fernandez struggled for the first time as a pro in his first try at low Class A Lexington in 2014. Through a lot of bullpens and side work Fernandez shortened the length of his arm stroke in the beginning of his delivery. That improved the consistency of his delivery, which paid off in improved command. He took a little off his fastball to try to throw strikes early in the season but by midseason he was sitting 92-94 mph and touching 96 while hitting his spots. Because he's just 6 feet tall, Fernandez's fastball gets flat when he's not getting full extension. Fernandez had always had a potentially average changeup, but his curveball is a sloppy mid-70s breaker. Fernandez's lack of a breaking ball has always been the biggest impediment to being a significant starter, so the Royals were excited when he picked up a much harder 80-83 mph slider during instructional league. The slider fits his lower arm slot better and has more of a plane change, giving him a chance to have an average breaking ball, although he needs to prove he can throw it in games. He's ready for high Class A Wilmington.
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  Ranked Kansas City Royals #19 prospect in 2015
  Figuring out when to promote a player to a higher level is not always an easy call. After Fernandez dominated the Dominican Summer League and the Rookie-level Arizona League in 2013, the Royals watched him look equally impressive in extended spring training in 2014. Emboldened, they assigned him to low Class A Lexington in June and watched him struggle to handle a tougher level of competition. Fernandez is a short righthander. His arm swing is long in the back as he takes the ball away from his glove to begin his motion, but prior to 2014, he had shown an ability to repeat this complex delivery. Fernandez gets good extension out front, which helps his plus fastball play up further. He sits at 90-93 mph, but he'll touch 97 when he humps up. His fringe-average slurvy breaking ball shows some tilt, but it's slower than the typical slider and doesn't feature as much break as the typical curveball. His changeup has shown flashes, but it wasn't as consistent in 2014. Most likely he heads back to Lexington in 2015 to try to reassert himself as a starter prospect.
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  Ranked Kansas City Royals #16 prospect in 2014
  International scouting director Rene Francisco and his staff have had success signing short Dominican righthanders to reasonable contracts. Examples include Kelvin Herrera and Yordano Ventura. They snagged Fernandez for $45,000 in 2011 and watched him pitch his way out of the Dominican Summer League in 2012 by allowing just five hits in 12 innings. After arriving in the Rookie-level Arizona League, he similarly dominated with a 90-94 mph fastball that could develop into a consistent plus pitch, an average slider that shows tilt and bite and a decent changeup. If he continues to get stronger, Fernandez has the makings of three average or better pitches to go with a clean delivery. He hasn't worked deep in games yet, but he has shown an ability to maintain his velocity for all five innings start after start. Fernandez's control and feel is significantly more advanced than the average 19-year-old, which opens up the possibility that he could jump to low Class A Lexington in 2014.