Roniel Raudes

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Boston Red Sox #29 prospect in 2018
  One year after Raudes excelled as a pitchability starter in low Class A Greenville at 18, the righthander failed to carry his performance forward to high Class A, going 4-7, 4.50 with a declining strikeout rate and a walk rate that ascended by 75 percent to 3.41 per nine innings. Still extremely skinny, Raudes' average fastball velocity sat at 90 mph and peaked at 92. He added a slider to his mix in July and showed improvement over his final 10 outings. Raudes still throws strikes with a four-pitch mix, and he creates deception with his delivery, but his stuff will need to improve for him to advance as a starter. The closest he has to a plus pitch right now is his changeup, which features both fade and sink. He'll double or triple up on the pitch and isn't afraid to throw it to either right or lefthanders. His curveball is below-average because it lacks enough depth and bite get swings and misses. Raudes could open 2018 back at Salem or with Double-A Portland.
• 
  Ranked Boston Red Sox #6 prospect in 2017
  When international scouting director Eddie Romero saw Raudes pitch in a tournament in Mexico in 2012, he couldn't help but be mesmerized by a 14-year-old who, despite throwing 78-80 mph, conducted himself like a big leaguer by mixing three pitches and displaying dogged competitiveness. Raudes continues to display fearless strike-throwing ability that has allowed him to hold his own against older competition. Raudes is built like a bird, with long, thin limbs that limit the power of his stuff. He controls and sequences his fastball, curveball and changeup well, however. At 18, none of his pitches grades as plus, but he shows the ability to spin the ball with a quick, whippy arm in a way that has some believing his fastball velocity can tick up from its current 88-91 mph range to be more of a low-90s offering. His fastball is relatively straight right now, but Raudes creates deception with a repeatable delivery, and his ability to command the ball allows his stuff to play up. He limits hard contact against him based on his unpredictably. Raudes will likely be one of the youngest pitchers in the high Class A Carolina League in 2017. Assuming he remains healthy, his control and pitchability suggest the floor of an up-and-down depth starter with a likely ceiling as a No. 4 barring an unexpected jump in his velocity.
• 
  Ranked Boston Red Sox #24 prospect in 2016
  Raudes represented one of Boston's first signings out of Nicaragua in years when the team signed him in July 2014. As a slight righthander with a whippy arm and swing-and-miss breaking ball, Raudes reminded Rookie-level Gulf Coast League manager Tom Kotchman of a young righthander he'd seen with the Angels, Francisco Rodriguez. Signed with a projectable mid-80s fastball, Raudes saw his velocity bump up to solid-average levels in 2015, when he worked in the low 90s. Yet he also showed the ability to adapt his plan of attack and pitch backward with a three-pitch mix, suggesting starter potential. He's an aggressive strike-thrower, as evident from his 9.7 strikeouts and 1.1 walks per nine innings in his pro debut in 2015, which was split between the Dominican Summer League and the GCL. While there's plenty of room for both physical and pitch development, Raudes will probably pitch at short-season Lowell as an 18-year-old in 2016, and he has a chance to emerge as one of the better starting pitching prospects in the Red Sox system.

• December, 2016 Scouting Report
  Background: When international scouting director Eddie Romero saw Raudes pitch in a tournament in Mexico in 2012, he couldn't help but be mesmerized by a 14-year-old who, despite throwing 78-80 mph, conducted himself like a big leaguer by mixing three pitches and displaying dogged competitiveness. Raudes continues to display fearless strike-throwing ability that has allowed him to hold his own against older competition. Scouting Report: Raudes is built like a bird, with long, thin limbs that limit the power of his stuff. He controls and sequences his fastball, curveball and changeup well, however. At 18, none of his pitches grades as plus, but he shows the ability to spin the ball with a quick, whippy arm in a way that has some believing his fastball velocity can tick up from its current 88-91 mph range to be more of a low-90s offering. His fastball is relatively straight right now, but Raudes creates deception with a repeatable delivery, and his ability to command the ball allows his stuff to play up. He limits hard contact against him based on his unpredictably.
  
  The Future: Raudes will likely be one of the youngest pitchers in the high Class A Carolina League in 2017. Assuming he remains healthy, his control and pitchability suggest the floor of an up-and-down depth starter with a likely ceiling as a No. 4 barring an unexpected jump in his velocity.