Jorge Rondon

Organization Prospect Rankings

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  Ranked St. Louis Cardinals #24 prospect in 2013
  A year after the undersized righty with the oversized fastball emerged as a closer in Springfield, Rondon asserted his place as a rising power arm in a system that's increasingly flush with them. He joined Carlos Martinez, Trevor Rosenthal and Maikel Cleto as 100-mph flamethrowers when he tripped triple digits in the middle of the season. Rondon averages 95 mph with his fastball and did so with increasing command in 2012, though he still needs to get better in that regard. He maximizes his mechanics to gain velocity, but when he muscles his pitches he sacrifices location. He complements his fastball with a hard slider that can get swings and misses when it's on. Already a veteran of seven pro seasons, Rondon went unclaimed in the 2010-11 Rule 5 drafts before the Cardinals protected him on the 40-man roster this offseason. They likened him to Eduardo Sanchez, another small but hard-throwing righty who has helped them in the majors. Rondon spent the winter pitching in the Venezuelan League and is headed back to Triple-A.