Felipe Paulino Stats & Scouting Report

IP	403
ERA	5.226
WHIP	1.556
BB/9	3.841
SO/9	8.33

Full name Felipe Adolfo Paulino
Born 10/05/1983 in Santo Domingo Centro, Dominican Republic
Profile Ht.: 6'3" / Wt.: 270 / Bats: R / Throws: R
Debut 09/05/2007

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

Just as excitement built around Paulino in spring training 2007, the Astros shut him down because of a pinched nerve in his throwing shoulder. With his return maddeningly pushed back time and again, he made only an August appearance at Round Rock before bursitis in his shoulder forced him back to the disabled list. He got some winter work in the Dominican League, with the Astros optimistic he would be ready in spring training. Paulino, who converted from shortstop early in his career, is an absolute flamethrower once clocked at 102 mph. Even if there is a slight dip in his velocity, he has enough to dominate and attack hitters because he showed an ability to locate his fastball before the injury. And if it's on, watch out for his hammer 80-85 mph curve. Like most hard throwers, Paulino needs an effective third pitch to maintain a rotation slot. The curve and changeup are not consistent enough, and his eagerness to attack leads to flying open in his delivery. He probably profiles better as a reliever. Given the Astros' thin system, Paulino will get every opportunity to work his way to the big leagues. He could be best eased in as a set-up man with eyes on the closer's job. That is, if he can stay healthy.
Originally signed as a shortstop, Paulino quickly moved to the mound and could be the next in the Astros' long tradition of flamethrowers. Houston has seen Paulino's fastball hit 100 mph, while other clubs have had him up to 102. Paulino has consistently gotten better in making the transition from thrower to pitcher. He's improved at maintaining his athletic delivery and locating his fastball. He likes to bust hitters inside, then make them look silly with a hammer 80-85 mph curveball. Paulino works up in the strike zone with his four-seam fastball, and major league hitters turned it around for five homers in 19 innings. His improved curveball and changeup are still not consistently reliable. He'll fly open in his delivery at times, costing him command. He's an adventure as a fielder, having led his minor leagues in errors by a pitcher the last two seasons. The Astros still haven't determined Paulino's long-term role. He'll compete for a rotation spot in spring training, but he eventually could emerge as their closer if Chad Qualls doesn't seize the job.
Paulino has the best pure arm strength among the Astros' starting pitching prospects. They've clocked him as high as 100 mph, while other clubs have seen him hit 102. Paulino usually works at 93-96 mph with his heavy fastball and drives it down in the strike zone with a straight-overthe- top delivery. He changed his curveball grip two years ago and now has a hard 80-85 mph downer that's a plus-plus pitch when it's really on. Still raw after five years as a pro, Paulino doesn't command much beyond his fastball. His shoulder flies open and he falls toward first base in his delivery, making it difficult to stay on top of his curveball and to locate his work-in-progress changeup. He started working on a slider last August. He's a shaky fielder who led high Class A Carolina League pitchers with seven errors in just 21 chances last year. Though Houston will continue to groom Paulino as a starter in Double-A this season, it's easy to envision him as a late-inning reliever. In that role, he could rely more on his fastball and not worry about his changeup.
Like Fernando Nieve, Paulino signed out of Venezuela, has a power arm and has been brought along slowly. He has intrigued scouts ever since his first pitch in the United States--a 96 mph fastball at Rookie-level Martinsville in 2003. The Astros have seen Paulino throw as hard as 100 mph, other organizations have clocked him at 102 and he usually pitches from 90-98. Batters not only have to contend with his velocity, but also heavy boring and riding action on his fastball. He changed the grip on his curveball in 2005 and came up with a plus 80-85 mph breaker. Paulino is still raw as a pitcher. He's still discovering how to control his curveball, and his overall command can improve. He's reluctant to throw his changeup, stunting the development of the third pitch he needs to remain a starter. Paulino will pitch in the Salem rotation in 2006. It's easier to project him as a reliever once he reaches the majors, and he has the stuff to become a closer.
Paulino has the best raw arm strength in the system. He announced his presence with his first pitch in the United States, a 96 mph heater last June in Martinsville. His fastball sat at 94-98 mph in the Appalachian League, and he topped out in triple digits. Velocity and a strong frame are the only things Paulino has going for him right now, but they're hard to ignore. He doesn't command his fastball well, and doesn't have much consistency with his hard slider. His mechanics are rough and he's still learning how to pitch, both from a mental and physical standpoint. If the Astros can refine Paulino they might have a future closer. He'll begin the year in extended spring training and head to Tri-City or Greeneville in June.

Minor League Top Prospects

Paulino hadn't played above Class A coming into the season, but he made his major league debut in Houston in September, earning wins in his last two starts. He has the body and the stuff to pitch at the top of a rotation, with a fastball that touches 100 mph and sits at 95-99 mph. Paulino has four legitimate pitches, using both a slider and a curveball as well as a changeup. His curveball is probably the best of his complementary pitches, but none of them stand out. To establish himself in the big league rotation, Paulino will have to improve his command and become more confident with his fastball. His velocity allows him to dominate, but if hitters hit his heater early in games, he tends to shy away from it.
Paulino has unquestionably electric stuff, starting with a mid-90s fastball he throws from straight over the top. But he struggled to put away CL hitters because his mechanics are inconsistent. When Paulino stays tall and balanced in his delivery, he keeps his fastball down and his hard curveball has good downward life. But when his lead shoulder flies open, he comes completely undone, leaving pitches up in the zone and falling off to the first-base side of the mound. That happened early in the year, when Paulino allowed five homers over his first nine innings, though he found a comfort zone by midseason and rattled off four straight wins to close out the year. Paulino still struggles locating his changeup, and while all his pitches have tremendous life, he needs to refine his change if he's going to remain a starter. He added a slider in August to give him another option.
Effectively erratic is the way one manager described the hard-throwing Paulino. Even though his pitches weren't often accurate, he created more than a few weak knees in the batter's box with a 97-98 mph fastball that was clocked in triple digits by several clubs. "His command leaves a lot to be desired," Buford said, "but you can't teach that arm strength." The quality of Paulino's command and breaking ball fluctuated. While he's working on a changeup, several managers said he could succeed out of the bullpen with his fastball alone--if he learns to harness the pitch.