Alex Colome

Organization Prospect Rankings

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  Ranked Tampa Bay Rays #2 prospect in 2015
  The nephew of Jesus Colome, who pitched 10 years in the big leagues, Alex has gone from a raw thrower to a promising pitcher while overcoming a handful of injuries and a 50-game suspension to open the 2014 after failing a performance-enhancing drug test. He was Tampa's only homegrown international signee on the big league roster this year. Colome is a power pitcher who works off his plus fastball that sits at 92-94 mph and reaches 97. His fastball features solid sinking action and above-average armside run. He mixes his heater with a tight power curve, a hard cutter-type slider, and a solid changeup that showed improvement in 2014. At times, Colome struggles to command his fastball because it has so much running action, but he had the best walk rate of his career in 2014 with Triple-A Durham. He's had durability issues in the past, including an elbow strain that sidelined him in 2013, but finished this season strong with a September callup. The Rays feel certain Colome, who is out of options, has nothing left to prove in the minors. His power arm would make him a good fit in the bullpen if he can't break into Tampa's crowded big league rotation. He still has the ceiling of a No. 3 starter.
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  Ranked Tampa Bay Rays #5 prospect in 2014
  Colome made his big league debut at midseason 2013, following in the footsteps of his uncle Jesus, a 10-year major league veteran. Unfortunately, for the second time in as many seasons, he missed the latter part of the season, this time due to an elbow strain. He opted for rest and rehab instead of surgery and figures to be ready for 2014. Colome has made impressive strides over the past two years in his development as a pitcher after being a thrower early in his career. He has a plus fastball in the 93-95 mph range that touches 97 with decent sinking action and armside run, though at times it can be too true. He mixes in a tight power curveball and a hard slider. His changeup has improved, though it remains his fourth pitch. Colome's command and feel for pitching also have taken big steps forward, making him more effective at getting ahead in the count and generating groundball outs. His durability has become his biggest question mark, and it could land Colome in the bullpen on a permanent basis. Regardless of role, he has the arm and the ability to pitch in the major leagues, which is where he should find himself again at some point in 2014.
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  Ranked Tampa Bay Rays #6 prospect in 2013
  Colome pitched well in 2012 but had a hard time staying on the mound. He missed a month and a half when he hurt his left oblique while fielding a bunt in his second start, and his season came to a premature end with a lat strain in mid-August. His uncle Jesus pitched 10 seasons in the majors, including six with the Rays. Colome has a special arm that generates impressive velocity and good movement. His fastball sits at 93-95 mph with excellent sink and some armside run. He also throws two breaking balls, a sharp curveball with tight spin and an upper-80s slider that's less consistent. He has added fade to his changeup, but he lacks the confidence to throw it when behind in the count. Colome made the transition from a thrower to a pitcher in 2012 after trying to strike out every batter earlier in his career. He struggled at the beginning of his starts early in the campaign before he improved his pitch selection and command. If his feel for pitching continues to get better, Colome has what it takes to be a solid mid-rotation starter in the big leagues. At worst, he should be a late-inning reliever. He'll open 2013 in the Durham rotation, with a big league promotion a strong possibility later in the season.
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  Ranked Tampa Bay Rays #5 prospect in 2012
  The nephew of former Rays reliever Jesus Colome, Alex spent three seasons in short-season league before making his full-season debut in 2010. He pitched a career-high 158 innings and reached Double-A in 2011, when he ranked second in the system with 12 wins. He finished with a strong relief stint in the Venezuelan League, and Tampa Bay protected him on its 40-man roster. Colome reminds scouts of his uncle with his electric arm. He throws a sinking fastball that sits at 93-95 mph and touches 97 with armside run. His heater doesn't have a lot of deception but comes out of his hand easily. He complements it with a sharp curveball with good rotation and a fringy upper-80s slider with decent tilt. Colome has impressive late fade on his changeup at times. Because Colome is long-limbed, his arm slot can get out of sync, leading to a lack of fastball command. He overthrows on occasion and goes for strikeouts, which limits his effectiveness. While the Rays believe Colome can develop into at least a No. 3 starter, he may be better suited as a reliever if he can't refine his changeup and command. He'll remain in the rotation for now when he returns to Montgomery to open 2012.
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  Ranked Tampa Bay Rays #7 prospect in 2011
  Colome spent three years in Rookie and short-season leagues before advancing to low Class A Bowling Green in 2010. The nephew of former Rays reliever Jesus Colome, he faded in the second half but did impress with eight strikeouts in a four-inning start for Charlotte in September. Colome's live arm rivals that of anyone in the system. His 91-93 mph fastball touches 96 and features natural sink as well as armside run. He also throws a tight 11-to-5 curveball that has the makings of a plus pitch. He has improved the consistency of his changeup and used it frequently last season to retire lefthanders. Colome tends to overthrow at times, and his control and command can be erratic. He has learned to use the inner half of the plate by challenging hitters with his fastball, and he has shown some promise in backdooring his curve for strikes. Though Colome remains a raw prospect, he has the upside of a frontline starter. He has succeeded thus far simply by overpowering hitters, though he'll have to adopt a more polished approach when he returns to high Class A for a full season in 2011.
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  Ranked Tampa Bay Rays #7 prospect in 2010
  Deemed a raw prospect with considerable promise, Colome went 1-11, 5.04 in his first two pro seasons before blossoming as the Rays hoped last summer. He led the short-season New York-Penn League in strikeouts (94 in 76 innings) and ranked second in ERA (1.66). He's the nephew of former Tampa Bay reliever Jesus Colome. Colome has electric stuff and tremendous upside. He has a good frame and loose arm action, and the ball jumps out of his hand when he's relaxed. His fastball has been clocked as high as 97 mph and sits at 94-95. He also throws a hard curveball with 11-to-5 break and late bite. Though he has started to harness his stuff, Colome is still in the process of controlling his pitches and commanding them in the strike zone. He has displayed a decent feel for a lively changeup, but he often throws it too hard. He tends to overthrow when behind in the count, which hurts his ability to throw strikes. The sky is the limit for Colome once he realizes his strengths and uses them to his advantage. Even now, hitters rarely get good swings against him. Provided his changeup comes around, he has the ability to be a frontline starter. A move up to low Class A awaits.
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  Ranked Tampa Bay Rays #24 prospect in 2009
  No one on this Top 30 list is more of a project than Colome, whose cousin Jesus pitched six seasons with the Rays. Colome has a 1-11 pro record and was shelled in his U.S. debut last year, but he has an electric arm that just needs to be harnessed. His inconsistency was evident in his last three outings of 2008, in which he surrendered a pair of scoreless four-inning starts around a relief appearance where he was touched for nine runs in 2 1/3 innings. Colome's fastball has great life and sits at 94-95 mph. He also throws a hard, slurvy breaking ball with plus tilt and a late, sharp bite. Developing a changeup will be imperative for him to remain a starter, though his fastball and breaking ball would be enough to play an important role in a big league bullpen. The key for Colome will be developing his control and command. He walks too many batters and gets hit hard when he takes something off his pitches while trying to find the strike zone. Colome will continue his bid to refine his arsenal at either Hudson Valley or Bowling Green in 2009.

Minor League Top Prospects

• 
  Ranked International League #15 prospect in 2014
  Colome improved his command in a repeat season at Durham, overcoming an elbow strain that shut him down late in 2013 and a 50-game suspension at the beginning of 2014 for testing positive for the anabolic steroid Bolderone. Colome throws a plus fastball that sits in the mid-90s, though he hasn't found a second pitch to complement his heater and rank as a dependable starter. He throws an average curveball, slider and changeup, and he throws them all hard. "I was really happy for him," Durham manager Charlie Montoyo said. "He was comfortable and he never complained after a bad outing. He's a tough kid who doesn't get nervous. He has guts." Hitters cheat to catch up to Colome's fastball, and he lacks the feel or pitchability to take advantage of it. Until he does, he likely fits best as a reliever.
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  Ranked Florida State League #5 prospect in 2011
  Colome's ceiling is as high as that of the pitchers ahead of him on this list, but he has further to go. He's capable of dominating hitters with a lively fastball that sits in the mid-90s and tops out at 97 mph. His heater comes out of his hand easily and he shows some feel for moving it around the strike zone. Though Colome's breaking pitches can blend together at times, they both have their moments. He can spin a sharp curveball and add or subtract velocity from it, and he mixes in an average slider that gets as high as 88 mph and has some tilt. His 83-84 mph changeup features late movement at times. Colome 's impressive arsenal allowed him to limit opponents to three earned runs or less in 16 of 19 FSL starts succeeded in spite of below-average command. He tended get out of control on the mound and overthrow, losing his arm slot. Some observers felt Colome would fit better as a two-pitch reliever, but he has frontline starter potential with improved command.
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  Ranked Midwest League #16 prospect in 2010
  The Rays like to bring their young pitchers along slowly, so Colome didn't reach full-season ball until this, his fourth pro season. He could start to move quickly after showing one of the league's livest arms, and Great Lakes manager Juan Bustabad called him the best pitcher the Loons saw all year. Colome's best pitch is a 91-93 mph fastball that tops out at 96 and features armside run and sink. His 11-to-5 curveball has tight spin and qualifies as a plus pitch at its best. His changeup is a solid third offering that helped him limit lefthanders to a .199 average. Colome's control and command continue to improve and project as at least solid. He's not afraid to challenge hitters inside with his fastball and shows some aptitude for backdooring his curve for strikes.
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  Ranked New York-Penn League #2 prospect in 2009
  After going 0-5, 6.80 at Rookie-level Princeton in 2008, Colome was one of the biggest surprises in the NY-P this summer, leading the league in strikeouts (94 in 76 innings) and finishing second in ERA (1.66). He had the best combination of performance and projection of any pitcher in the league. "He's the ultimate competitor," Hudson Valley manager Brady Williams said. "He doesn't like to get hit and he's got a very strong presence about him on the mound. With his stuff, he's dominating with his fastball and curveball." The nephew of big league reliever Jesus Colome, Alexander attacks hitters with a lively 92-94 mph fastball that touches 95-96, even deep into outings. He complements it with a 78-80 mph curveball with sharp, late 11-to-5 break. He's working on a changeup to use against lefthanders, and it has excellent movement at times, but he has a tendency to throw it too hard and still is developing feel for the pitch. Colome has a loose, easy arm action and is very tough to hit when he stays within himself, but sometimes he overthrows, causing his command to waver. If he learns to trust his stuff, he could develop into a frontline starter.

Top 100 Rankings

• Ranked Baseball America's #68 prospect in 2010

• December, 2012 Scouting Report
  Background: Colome pitched well in 2012 but had a hard time staying on the mound. He missed a month and a half when he hurt his left oblique while fielding a bunt in his second start, and his season came to a premature end with a lat strain in mid-August. His uncle Jesus pitched 10 seasons in the majors, including six with the Rays. Scouting Report: Colome has a special arm that generates impressive velocity and good movement. His fastball sits at 93-95 mph with excellent sink and some armside run. He also throws two breaking balls, a sharp curveball with tight spin and an upper-80s slider that's less consistent. He has added fade to his changeup, but he lacks the confidence to throw it when behind in the count. Colome made the transition from a thrower to a pitcher in 2012 after trying to strike out every batter earlier in his career. He struggled at the beginning of his starts early in the campaign before he improved his pitch selection and command. The Future: If his feel for pitching continues to get better, Colome has what it takes to be a solid mid-rotation starter in the big leagues. At worst, he should be a late-inning reliever. He'll open 2013 in the Durham rotation, with a big league promotion a strong possibility later in the season.
• December, 2011 Scouting Report
  Background: The nephew of former Rays reliever Jesus Colome, Alex spent three seasons in Rookie and short-season ball before making his full-season debut in 2010. He pitched a career-high 158 innings and reached Double-A for the first time in 2011, when he ranked second in the system with 12 wins. He finished the year with a strong relief stint in the Venezuelan League, after which Tampa Bay protected him on its 40-man roster.
  
  Scouting Report: Colome reminds scouts of his uncle with his electric arm. He throws a sinking fastball that sits at 93-95 mph and touches 97 with armside run. His heater doesn't have a lot of deception but comes out of his hand easily. He complements it with a sharp curveball with good rotation and a fringy upper-80s slider with decent tilt. Colome has impressive late fade on his changeup at times, but not consistently. The long-limbed Colome's arm slot can get out of sync, leading to a lack of fastball command. He overthrows on occasion and goes for strikeouts, which limits his effectiveness.
  
  The Future: While the Rays believe Colome can develop into at least a No. 3 starter, he may be better suited as a reliever if he can't refine his changeup and command. He'll remain in the rotation for now when he returns to Montgomery to open the 2012 season.
• December, 2011 Scouting Report
  The nephew of former Rays reliever Jesus Colome, Alex spent three seasons in short-season league before making his full-season debut in 2010. He pitched a career-high 158 innings and reached Double-A in 2011, when he ranked second in the system with 12 wins. He finished with a strong relief stint in the Venezuelan League, and Tampa Bay protected him on its 40-man roster. Colome reminds scouts of his uncle with his electric arm. He throws a sinking fastball that sits at 93-95 mph and touches 97 with armside run. His heater doesn't have a lot of deception but comes out of his hand easily. He complements it with a sharp curveball with good rotation and a fringy upper-80s slider with decent tilt. Colome has impressive late fade on his changeup at times. Because Colome is long-limbed, his arm slot can get out of sync, leading to a lack of fastball command. He overthrows on occasion and goes for strikeouts, which limits his effectiveness. While the Rays believe Colome can develop into at least a No. 3 starter, he may be better suited as a reliever if he can't refine his changeup and command. He'll remain in the rotation for now when he returns to Montgomery to open 2012.