Guillermo Moscoso

Organization Prospect Rankings

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  Ranked Texas Rangers #19 prospect in 2010
  Moscoso's path through the minor leagues has been interrupted twice by shoulder issues. He had shoulder surgery in 2005 and missed the first six weeks in 2008 with soreness. He has shown flashes of brilliance when healthy, including a perfect game in 2007 at short-season Oneonta. The Rangers got him from the Tigers when they traded catcher Gerald Laird in December 2008, and Moscoso had a strong first season in his new organization, excelling in Triple-A as a starter and reaching the majors in a relief role. His best asset is his ability to pound the bottom of the strike zone with a low-90s fastball. He throws across his body a bit, giving him deception and adding to the excellent late life on his heater. His No. 2 pitch is an average changeup, but his slurvy breaking ball is fringe-average at best. He needs to tighten it and learn to throw it harder. At 26, Moscoso is ready for a big league role, either as a back-of-the-rotation starter, a long reliever or a swingman. His lively fastball and aggressive, confident mentality might be all he needs to carve out a living in a big league bullpen, but he must hone his secondary stuff if he wants to be a starter.
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  Ranked Texas Rangers #23 prospect in 2009
  The Rangers alleviated their catching logjam somewhat by trading big league starter Gerald Laird to the Tigers in December, getting promising righthanders Moscoso and Carlos Melo in return. Moscoso had shoulder surgery in 2005 and missed the first six weeks in 2008 with shoulder soreness. When healthy, he threw a perfect game at short-season Oneonta in 2007 and flourished en route to Double-A last season. Moscoso has a quick arm and a fastball that reaches 91-92 mph with late riding action that makes it a swing-and-miss pitch. He can also use his fastball to handcuff hitters and force easy popouts. His delivery has some deception and hitters have trouble reading his pitches. He's very aggressive in the strike zone and confident on the mound. Moscoso shows a curveball and changeup, but neither is nearly as effective as his fastball. His shoulder problems have limited him to no more than 91 innings in a pro season, which raises the question of whether he would be better suited for the bullpen. It might be easier to keep him healthy as a reliever. If he can stay healthy and develop his secondary pitches, Moscoso could be a No. 3 or 4 starter in the majors. He could reach Texas at some point in 2009.