Juan De Paula
| IP | 337 |
|---|---|
| ERA | 3.846 |
| WHIP | 1.315 |
| BB/9 | 3.819 |
| SO/9 | 8.226 |
- Full name Juan Francisco De Paula
- Born 09/22/1997 in Santo Domingo Centro, Dominican Republic
- Profile Ht.: 6'3" / Wt.: 165 / Bats: R / Throws: R
Top Rankings
Organization Prospect Rankings
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Track Record: A $175,000 signing out of the Dominican Republic by the Mariners in 2014, De Paula has been traded twice in his career. He was acquired by the Giants in the August 2018 deal that sent Andrew McCutchen to the Yankees. After spending the majority of the last two seasons in the short-season New-York Penn League, the 21-year-old De Paula made only one start in the Giants organization in 2018, striking out nine and walking one in five innings with low Class A Augusta before the season ended.
Scouting Report: A skinny, 6-foot-3 righthander with plenty of room to add weight to his frame, De Paula has a plus fastball that sits in the mid-90s and touches 98 mph with above-average life. He has feel for both a changeup and curveball, although both pitches are currently below-average offerings with the chance to become average or above-average pitches in the future. De Paula's secondary pitches and overall control lack consistency at the moment, but that's widely to be expected from a 21-year-old with only one, late-season start in full-season ball.
The Future: De Paula has the three-pitch mix of a mid-rotation starter. He's raw and needs to improve his fringe-average control, but he'll receive much-needed experience at low Class A Augusta in 2019. -
De Paula was part of the two-pitcher package (along with fellow righthander Jio Orozco) that the Mariners sent the Yankees in exchange for outfielder Ben Gamel, who put together a fine season in Seattle after being given extended playing time. The Mariners originally signed De Paula for $175,000, and he rewarded them early by throwing a complete-game shutout in the Dominican Summer League. With short-season Staten Island this year, De Paula continued to show signs that he could be a future rotation piece. He attacked the zone with a low-90s fastball that got to 94-95 mph at times, and he coupled the pitch with an average changeup and a potentially average curveball, as well. With 25 walks in 62 innings, he'll need to continue to iron out his control as he moves up the ladder. The Yankees are encouraged, however, by the aggression he shows on the mound. He'll throw his fastball to all four quadrants of the strike zone, and he showed an ability to make big pitches when he needed to make them. He'll pitch all of 2018 at 20 years old, and he's likely shown enough to earn a spot at low Class A Charleston. -
De Paula gave scouts and coaches a rare treat in the Dominican Summer League last year when he threw a complete-game shutout in August. It was a highlight as De Paula pitched a full season in his first year after signing for $175,000 in 2014. De Paula was throwing in the mid-80s when he signed, peaking at 87 mph, but in his complete game he was still throwing 93 mph in the ninth inning. De Paula is a strike thrower even with his extra velocity, and he's starting to grow into his lanky frame. He has a solid feel for his age with his ability to mix his fastball, curveball and changeup, and the Mariners are impressed by his early velocity gains. He has a clean arm, and aside from his youth, his biggest issue appears to be the development of his curveball. De Paula appears ready for his U.S. debut in 2016.
Minor League Top Prospects
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The lanky De Paula was originally signed by Seattle, then traded to the Yankees for Ben Gamel. De Paula had great success keeping the ball in the park, giving up only one home run in 109.1 innings the last two seasons at Staten Island, and in August he was traded to the Giants as part of the package for current Yankees outfielder Andrew McCutchen. De Paula’s fastball is his main pitch and a good one, sitting in the low 90s and touching 95 mph with plenty of projection left. He also throws a slider and curveball, as well as a changeup. All three of his secondary pitches grade below his fastball, but his athleticism and arm strength leave room for growth. In order for De Paula to reach his potential, he needs to improve his secondary offerings while also pitching inside with more conviction. The ingredients are there. -
Still a teenager, De Paula was one of the more skilled pitchers in the league, showing an ability to control the strike zone and throw in and out, up and down, raising and lowering hitters' eye levels and never letting them get real comfortable in the batter's box. He was acquired along with fellow Staten Island pitcher Jio Orozco (an impressive arm with a 92-95 mph fastball himself) from the Mariners for Ben Gamel. DePaula will touch 94 mph at his best, but he sits 90-91 mph, and his fastball can be a little flat. As a result, he'll need to get to those upper registers of his velocity range more often as he matures to project as more than a back-end starter. His changeup is a present average pitch he uses at any count. He shows an ability to spin his curveball, but it's not as consistent or as sharp as his changeup.
