Vicente Campos

Organization Prospect Rankings

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  Ranked Los Angeles Angels #13 prospect in 2017
  Campos joins his fourth organization, continually tantalizing with a premier repertoire but frustrating with an inability to stay healthy. The Angels claimed the native Venezuelan off waivers in the offseason from the Diamondbacks, who had acquired Campos in a trade deadline deal for reliever Tyler Clippard in July. Arizona waived Campos after he underwent surgery to repair an ulnar fracture in his right arm, and he's expected to miss the beginning of the 2017 season. After missing 2014 with Tommy John surgery and still on the comeback trail in 2015, Campos was healthy and productive for most of 2016, with a 10-5, 3.22 combined record spread over five different minor league teams. He finally made his big league debut for Arizona with a 5.2 inning relief stint in late August before the fracture occurred in early September. When healthy, Campos delivers an above-average four-seam fastball in the mid-90s, but he averaged 90 mph in his lone big league game. He also uses a mid-80s changeup with good movement and a mid-70s curveball, both of which flash plus at times. Campos expected recovery time from his surgery is eight months, meaning he won't get any meaningful time on the mound until midseason.
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  Ranked New York Yankees #20 prospect in 2016
  Four years ago, the Yankees sent catcher Jesus Montero and righthander Hector Noesi to the Mariners for Michael Pineda and Campos. Pineda was coming off an all-star rookie season with Seattle, and Campos ranked as the No. 5 prospect in their system. Campos had Tommy John surgery in 2014, then worked back slowly in 2015. He pitched just 54 innings between the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League and high Class A Tampa, but he impressed evaluators when he did pitch. Big and physical, Campos showed an above-average fastball that peaked in the mid-90s as well as a curveball and changeup that scouts ranked as either plus or potentially plus in the future. Seeing this, the Yankees added Campos to the 40-man roster in November to prevent him from qualifying for minor league free agency. He'll be 23 once the 2016 season starts, so there's still a bit of catchup to play. Campos will begin that process in 2016 when he moves to Double-A Trenton for his first crack at the upper levels.
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  Ranked New York Yankees #29 prospect in 2015
  When pitcher after pitcher succumbed to Tommy John surgery in 2014, the Yankees were not immune. Campos, the second piece they received from the Mariners in the Michael Pineda-Jesus Montero swap, had the procedure in April. Before the operation, he featured a 91-93 mph fastball with life, a changeup at 82-84 and a downer curveball in the mid-70s. His curveball's shape varies, leading some evaluators to mistake it for a slider at times. Campos did not make it back to the mound in 2014 following surgery, and he also missed instructional league. He turns 23 during the 2015 season, but has upside potential. Now he will need to make up for lost time if he hopes to reach his ceiling of a back-end starter.
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  Ranked New York Yankees #14 prospect in 2014
  Neither the Yankees nor the Mariners have gotten much out of the four-player trade prior to the 2012 season that brought righthanders Michael Pineda and Jose Campos to the Yankees for top prospect Jesus Montero and righty Hector Noesi. Not one player in the deal has lived up to expectations. For his part, Campos missed the final five months of 2012 with a small fracture in his pitching elbow, but he showed promising results in 2013 at low Class A Charleston despite being on an extremely short leash. At his best, Campos' fastball, which showcases average sink and tail, sat between 91-93 mph and touched as high as 95. He backs it up with a curveball that comes and goes and occasionally acts like a slider. His third pitch is an inconsistent but deceptive 82-84 mph changeup. He repeats his clean delivery and has an excellent pitcher's body at 6-foot-4, 200 pounds, so he should be able to handle a heavier workload in 2014. The jury is out on whether he's a starter or a reliever in the future. The Yankees thought enough of Campos to protect him on the 40-man roster rather than risk losing him in the Rule 5 draft and hope to get a longer look at him in 2014 at high Class A Tampa.
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  Ranked New York Yankees #5 prospect in 2013
  Campos led the short-season Northwest League in ERA (2.32) and strikeouts (85) as an 18-year-old making his U.S. debut in 2011. The Yankees targeted him in trade talks with the Mariners, acquiring him in January 2012 along with Michael Pineda in exchange for former No. 1 prospect Jesus Montero and Hector Noesi. Five starts into the season, though, the Yankees shut Campos down with what they termed elbow inflammation. Campos gave up one hit in his first 11 innings at low Class A Charleston, and his stuff was electric. When healthy, he pitches at 94-95 mph with his fastball, throwing plenty of strikes and showing late life. For a youngster who throws that hard, he has excellent command of the pitch. At times he wipes out hitters with a power curveball in the upper 70s, and his changeup shows flashes of becoming an above-average offering as well. He needs more innings to refine his secondary pitches and polish up details such as controlling the running game. He didn't throw in any games in instructional league, and one club official said "hopefully" Campos will be ready for spring training. That's hardly a ringing endorsement of health for the Yankees' pitching prospect with the most upside. He likely will work his way back in extended spring training and move up to high Class A in 2013.
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  Ranked Seattle Mariners #5 prospect in 2012
  Campos tried to join the Cardinals, but it never became official because his parents refused to sign the contract. When the Mariners offered slightly more money at $115,000, he signed with them in January 2009. A cousin of big leaguers Alcides and Kelvim Escobar, Campos led the short-season Northwest League in ERA (2.32) and strikeouts (85) in his U.S. debut. Campos' fastball operates at 92-95 mph and has been clocked as high as 98. For a youngster, he has advanced feel for pitching off his fastball and locating it. His heater has deception, angle and life. Just a thrower when he got to Everett last summer, he grew as a pitcher. His hard curveball and his changeup show flashes of becoming plus pitches. They lack consistency but improved as he cleaned up his delivery. Earlier in 2011, he was landing stiff and upright, throwing with just his arm. Now he lands on a softer front leg and gets more extension out front. He shows great poise on the mound and fills the strike zone. Campos is yet another frontline starting pitching prospect in Seattle's stable. He'll head to low Class A, where he'll give Clinton another ace to follow in Taijuan Walker's footsteps.

• December, 2012 Scouting Report
  Background: Campos led the short-season Northwest League in ERA (2.32) and strikeouts (85) as an 18-year-old making his U.S. debut in 2011. The Yankees targeted him in trade talks with the Mariners, acquiring him in January 2012 along with Michael Pineda in exchange for former No. 1 prospect Jesus Montero and Hector Noesi. Five starts into the season, though, the Yankees shut Campos down with what they termed elbow inflammation. Scouting Report: Campos gave up one hit in his first 11 innings at low Class A Charleston, and his stuff was electric. When healthy, he pitches at 94-95 mph with his fastball, throwing plenty of strikes and showing late life. For a youngster who throws that hard, he has excellent command of the pitch. At times he wipes out hitters with a power curveball in the upper 70s, and his changeup shows flashes of becoming an above-average offering as well. He needs more innings to refine his secondary pitches and polish up details such as controlling the running game. The Future: He didn't throw in any games in instructional league, and one club official said "hopefully" Campos will be ready for spring training. That's hardly a ringing endorsement of health for the Yankees' pitching prospect with the most upside. He likely will work his way back in extended spring training and move up to high Class A in 2013.