Raul Fernandez
| IP | 457 |
|---|---|
| ERA | 4.333 |
| WHIP | 1.394 |
| BB/9 | 3.289 |
| SO/9 | 7.602 |
- Full name Raul Antonio Fernandez
- Born 06/22/1990 in Jubey, Boca Chica, Dominican Republic
- Profile Ht.: 6'2" / Wt.: 180 / Bats: R / Throws: R
Top Rankings
Organization Prospect Rankings
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Fernandez played catcher when he signed for $50,000 in November 2007. The Rockies saw him as a pitcher, but he wanted to continue to catch. The Rockies let Fernandez do so in the Dominican Summer League in 2008 before beginning the conversion to pitcher. He spent two more years in the DSL as a reliever before advancing to Rookie-level Casper in 2011 and repeating the Pioneer League in 2012. He advanced to low Class A Asheville in 2013, serving as closer for the Tourists. Fernandez remains raw with little feel for pitching, but has a power arm. His fastball touches 98-99 mph and sits at 96. He often leaves it up in the zone, and he lacks pitchability. He can control the strike zone but doesn't command it and is unable to pitch to the corners. Fernandez throws an average split-changeup and a slider that is getting better. He was throwing the latter at 79-81 mph in 2012, but in instructional league that year worked on throwing it harder. Before missing about six weeks in 2013 with a strained elbow ligament, Fernandez's slider sat in the mid-80s. Even though he pitched just 34 innings in 2013, Fernandez figures to advance to high Class A Modesto in 2014.
