Elih Villanueva

Organization Prospect Rankings

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  Ranked Miami Marlins #14 prospect in 2011
  Villanueva battled fellow 2008 late-round steal Tom Koehler on the Southern League pitching leaderboards last year, finishing first in ERA (2.26), innings (179), WHIP (0.96), complete games (four) and shutouts (three). He tied for the minor league lead in the latter two categories, and threw a rain-shortened, five-inning no-hitter against Carolina in mid-August. Villanueva is greater than the sum of his pitches, which play up because he mixes them so well and hits his spots. He attacks hitters with an 88-92 mph fastball that he can locate wherever he wants. Villanueva utilizes two different breaking balls. His 12-to-6 curveball could become an average pitch. He also throws a hard slider, which he can spot in the zone or throw outside of it to induce swings and misses. He gets good action on his changeup, which he keeps down. He's also working on a cutter. The Marlins love Villanueva's fearlessness and winning attitude. He's a dependable strike-thrower, averaging just 1.5 walks per nine innings as a pro, and he has a great feel for pitching. A deceptive wrist wrap in his delivery helps him hide the ball. The caveat is that Villanueva doesn't have a plus pitch, so his ceiling appears to be as a back-of-the-rotation starter or swingman. He already has defied expectations and should open 2011 in Triple-A.