Andres Machado

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Kansas City Royals #25 prospect in 2018
  It took Machado a long time to make it to full-season ball after signing with the Royals in 2010 for $13,000. The Venezuelan righthander spent five seasons in short-season plus one year on the sidelines recovering from Tommy John surgery, but he made it all the way to the major leagues by the end of his first full-season experience. Machado flashes plus velocity with his four-seamer, ranging from 93 to 98 mph. It's a hard and heavy fastball with rising action that he locates well. His 88-89 mph changeup with some backspin is an above-average pitch now and could be plus before long. His third pitch is a slider at 83-86 with 12-6 movement. He throws with a long, full arm stroke from a three-quarters slot. Machado is still listed at his earlier weight of175 pounds, but he now has a mature look with thickening in the middle of the body. Machado will head to spring training in 2018 with a shot at the Kansas City rotation, but he more likely profiles best as a seventh-inning reliever.