Jose Taveras Stats & Scouting Report

IP	475
ERA	2.918
WHIP	1.086
BB/9	2.103
SO/9	8.128

Full name José Miguel Taveras
Born 11/06/1993 in Santo Domingo Centro, Dominican Republic
Profile Ht.: 6'4" / Wt.: 210 / Bats: R / Throws: R

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

Shortly after he turned 20, Taveras signed with the Phillies for $5,000. He has proven to be a durable strike-thrower who has climbed through the system quickly, including a three-level rise up to Triple-A Lehigh Valley in 2017. Taveras doesn't have the high-octane stuff to match some of the other electric young arms in the Phillies system, but he fills up the strike zone and messes with hitters' timing effectively. His fastball velocity is below-average at 88-92 mph, but it sneaks up on hitters because he generates tremendous extension and hides the ball well with the way he throws across his body. He locates his fastball well and mixes in a changeup that continues to improve, and it grades out as a plus pitch to get swinging strikes or weak contact by throwing hitters off balance. He will throw any pitch in any count, though his slider is just fringe-average. Taveras is a student of the game, so his intelligence and preparation help him get the most out of his stuff. Taveras likely returns to Triple-A in 2018, but he should make his major league debut at some point during the season and could carve out a career as a back-end starter.
Taveras had just turned 20 and was looking to sign for any price when the Phillies spotted him in the Dominican Republic and liked his ability to throw strikes. They gave him $5,000 and he has developed into a pleasant surprise for the organization. He spent the first month of 2016 in the bullpen with low Class A Lakewood, moved to the rotation and led the South Atlantic League with 154 strikeouts. Taveras isn't overpowering, but he's able to leverage his size, deception and command from a crossfire delivery. His fastball sits 88-92 mph, but the ball gets on hitters faster than anticipated because of Taveras' ability to generate extension out front. Taveras keeps hitters off balance with his solid-average changeup, mixing in a fringe-average slider too. He's a smart pitcher and a prolific strike-thrower, which should help him move quickly. There's a lot of smoke-and-mirrors to Taveras' game, which is why he has his skeptics until he proves himself at higher levels, but he could develop into a back-end starter. He will start in high Class A Clearwater in 2017.

Minor League Top Prospects

Other Lakewood pitchers throw harder or have better breaking pitches, but the whole is greater than the sum of the parts for Taveras. The thick-bodied 22-year-old gains deception from his cross-fire delivery, and he led the SAL with 154 strikeouts while ranking 10th with a 3.28 ERA. Taveras projects as a future No. 4 starter with three pitches that range from near-average to solid-average. He can sink his 89-92 mph fastball to set up an average slider (it flashes above-average) and changeup, and he even flips a usable curveball into the zone on occasion. What makes him successful is his ability to locate all three of his primary offerings at any point in the count. Taveras ranked second in the SAL only to Mitch Keller in baserunners per nine innings (9.6). At his best he dominanted, as he showed in a 15-strikeout performance against Greenville.