Domingo Acevedo

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked New York Yankees #24 prospect in 2019
  Track Record: Acevedo signed for $7,500 as a projectable 18-year-old and has spent the bulk of his career tantalizing with his potential but stagnating because of injuries. Acevedo has eclipsed 100 innings just once in six seasons despite being a starter, and has only two appearances at Triple-A. He was limited to just 69.1 innings in 2018 because of a variety of injuries, the latest of which kept him from an appearance in the Arizona Fall League.
  
  Scouting Report: Acevedo starts his arsenal with a big fastball that can sit in the mid 90s and peaks at 98 mph. A severe blister issue that curtailed the early portion of his season also meant he needed time to rebuild his velocity. His mid-80s slider grades well in analytic circles because of its high swing-and-miss rate, but garners lower rankings from scouts because it’s highly inconsistent. Acevedo’s upper-80s changeup, historically regarded as the better of his two offspeeds, still projects plus and features power sink away from lefthanders. He still needs to improve his command, which has been hindered by a longer arm action. He must also prove he can stay healthy.
  
  The Future: After a long stay in Double-A Trenton, Acevedo is likely to move to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in 2019. He fits either in the back of a rotation or the middle of a bullpen.
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  Ranked New York Yankees #9 prospect in 2018
  When they signed Acevedo for a scant $7,500 in 2012, the Yankees saw a big man with a big arm. He dealt with injury issues early in his career, including blister issues that limited him to just 93 innings in 2016. Acevedo was fully healthy in 2017 and proved a valuable piece of the Double-A Trenton rotation until he reached his innings cap before the Eastern League playoffs. Aside from his massive frame, the first thing that jumps out about Acevedo is just how many strikes he throws--he rang up 142 strikeouts in 2017 against just 34 walks--in spite of a delivery that is littered with funkiness and moving parts. He starts his pitch package with a four-seam fastball in the mid- to high 90s and couples it with a high-80s slider that should develop into a plus pitch. He has enough confidence in his changeup to throw it to both sides of the plate and against both righthanders and lefthanders. The Yankees worked with Acevedo to help him gain more confidence in his offspeed pitches, including a fringe-average slider, by throwing them more often. Acevedo, who has the ceiling of a mid-rotation starter and a floor of a power reliever, will head to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in 2018
• 
  Ranked New York Yankees #11 prospect in 2017
  Signed for just $7,500, the Yankees have already gotten more than their money's worth from Acevedo. The burly righthander cuts an imposing figure on the mound, but injuries have slowed his rise. He started last season at low Class A Charleston, but was limited to just one start after blister issues surfaced. He opened this year at Charleston again, dominated there and then was pushed to high Class A Tampa. He was limited to just eight starts there because of hamstring and right shoulder injuries and was shut down for the season on Aug. 15. With Acevedo's massive frame comes massive velocity. He can sit in the mid-90s and touches triple-digits regularly. His changeup is above-average and has the makings of a plus pitch. His low-80s slider is still a work in progress, and is a key to determining whether he ends up a starter or in the bullpen. He throws plenty of strikes with his arsenal, and finished the year with 102 punchouts against just 22 walks. Acevedo is a tantalizing prospect with some flaws who could become elite with a few key improvements. He will return to high Class A Tampa to start 2017 but should make his Double-A debut at some point.
• 
  Ranked New York Yankees #5 prospect in 2016
  Acevedo was signed as an 18-year-old in 2012 out of the Dominican Republic for a bonus of just $7,500. The Yankees were attracted to his big frame, arm speed and the big-time velocity that corresponded. Slated to start the year at low Class A Charleston, Acevedo had blisters derail his first half. He resurfaced with short-season Staten Island before making up the innings he missed in the Arizona Fall League. Acevedo's calling cards are his massive, physical frame and his elite heat. He regularly sits in the upper-90s fastball that boasts late life and reaches tripledigits with a peak of 103 mph on multiple occasions in 2015. He also showed an advanced feel for a changeup before signing, and it's above-average when his delivery is in sync. The Yankees scrapped his curveball and installed a slider. It sits in the low 80s, and scouts who saw him in 2015 would like to see more velocity. Acevedo has issues keeping his delivery together, leading to well below-average present command. Acevedo again is ticketed for Charleston, where he'll work on tightening his slider and harnessing command of his arsenal.

Minor League Top Prospects

• 
  Ranked Eastern League #12 prospect in 2017
  One of the most surprising things about Acevedo, given his massive 6-foot-7 frame and delivery, is his ability to command his fastball. He walked just 1.9 batters per nine innings at Trenton this season. Opposing managers marveled at the way Acevedo can place his fastball, which parks in the mid-90s and can touch as high as 98 mph, nearly anywhere within the strike zone. His mid-80s changeup is his go-to offspeed pitch and can flash plus. His low-80s slider is below-average and still needs to be refined. The Yankees worked hard with Acevedo on commanding his fastball in the zone and learning to throw his offspeed pitches for strikes. He tends to throw mostly fastballs, so the Yankees mandated he go offspeed in certain counts, even against his instincts.
• 
  Ranked New York-Penn League #3 prospect in 2015
  Acevedo was set to begin his third year in the Yankees system at low Class A Charleston before a blister on his right middle finger derailed those plans. He went down to extended spring training and eventually found himself at Staten Island, where he lit up the radar gun and opened eyes. Acevedo hit 103 mph at least once this summer and routinely worked his fastball at or around triple digits. He sits 95-96 mph early in starts but reaches back for 98-100 when he needs it. Sometimes he will overthrow, which can get his otherwise repeatable delivery out of sync. His command seemed to improve as he put his blister issues behind him, Staten Island coach Patrick Osborn said, but it still lags behind his control. Acevedo complements his plus fastball with a plus changeup at 85-88 mph that serves as his main secondary offering. He completes the three-pitch mix with a below-average slider that he can throw for strikes but too often stays on the same plane as his fastball. The pitch has shown signs of improvement, and he's thrown it more to lefties and gotten more swings and misses. If he can continue to refine his slider, he could have frontline starter potential. Otherwise, Acevedo could follow a similar trajectory as Dellin Betances and end up as a high-leverage reliever.

• July, 2018 Scouting Report
  Acevedo missed a good chunk of this year with a rather large blister. Once it healed, he had to be built back up. Now fully healed, Acevedo is once again throwing in the mid-90s and coupling the fastball with an above-average changeup. His slider is still developing, but grades out better analytically than it does in person.
• December, 2016 Scouting Report
  Background: Signed for just $7,500, Acevedo already has supplied the Yankees with incredible value. The burly, 6-foot-6 righthander cuts an imposing figure on the mound, but injuries have slowed his rise. He began the 2015 season at low Class A Charleston but was limited to only one start after blister issues surfaced. When he returned, he moved to short-season Staten Island. He returned to Charleston in 2016, jumped to high Class A Tampa and was limited to just eight starts there because of hamstring and right shoulder injuries. The Yankees shut him down on Aug. 15. Scouting Report: From Acevedo's massive frame comes massive velocity. He can sit in the mid-90s and touch triple digits with regularity. His changeup grades as above-average and has the makings of a plus pitch. His low-80s slider, which he calls a curve, is still a work in progress and may determine if he can start or winds up in the bullpen. He throws plenty of strikes with his arsenal and finished the year with 102 punchouts against just 22 walks. He's a prospect with flaws who could develop quickly with a few key improvements.
  
  The Future: Acevedo probably will return to Tampa to start the 2017 season but should make his Double-A debut at some point on what should be a stacked Trenton club.
• December, 2015 Scouting Report
  Acevedo was signed as an 18-year-old in 2012 out of the Dominican Republic for a bonus of just $7,500. The Yankees were attracted to his big frame, arm speed and the big-time velocity that corresponded. Slated to start the year at low Class A Charleston, Acevedo had blisters derail his first half. He resurfaced with short-season Staten Island before making up the innings he missed in the Arizona Fall League. Acevedo's calling cards are his massive, physical frame and his elite heat. He regularly sits in the upper-90s fastball that boasts late life and reaches tripledigits with a peak of 103 mph on multiple occasions in 2015. He also showed an advanced feel for a changeup before signing, and it's above-average when his delivery is in sync. The Yankees scrapped his curveball and installed a slider. It sits in the low 80s, and scouts who saw him in 2015 would like to see more velocity. Acevedo has issues keeping his delivery together, leading to well below-average present command. Acevedo again is ticketed for Charleston, where he'll work on tightening his slider and harnessing command of his arsenal.