Miguel Almonte Stats & Scouting Report

IP	17
ERA	9
WHIP	1.941
BB/9	6.353
SO/9	9

Full name Miguel Emilio Almonte
Born 04/04/1993 in Santiago, Dominican Republic
Profile Ht.: 6'1" / Wt.: 210 / Bats: R / Throws: R
Debut 09/01/2015

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

Almonte got back on track in 2017 after a couple of rough years--at least when he was on the mound and not on the disabled list. He missed time due to arm discomfort but was impressive when he pitched, posting sub-2.00 ERAs in limited time at both Double-A Northwest Arkansas and Triple-A Omaha. The gem of Almonte's arsenal is a fastball--both a two-seamer and four-seamer--with plus velocity that was up to 98 mph, sitting 93-97. The pitch has natural sinking action with arm-side run. His changeup is a plus pitch that at 90 mph is thrown hard, with slight arm-side fade and natural sink. His breaking ball has gotten better but doesn't have a lot of depth. He gets 12-6 movement from his curveball/slider hybrid, ranging from 83 for the curveball to 87 mph for the slider. He had more separation between the breaking balls this year, giving him four average or better pitches. Almonte will go to spring training looking to break camp with the Royals. While some observers see him as more of a reliever, his diverse repertoire points to rotation potential for the Dominican righthander.
A Top 10 Prospect for the Royals for four straight seasons, Almonte's development has gone backwards the past two years. After making his major league debut in 2015, he ended up back in Double-A Northwest Arkansas in 2016 to try to fix significant delivery issues that have sapped his once-impressive control. Almonte consistently opened up in his delivery too early, causing his elbow and arm slot to drop, which cost him control. He left his fastball and changeup elevated, while his curveball got sweepier. The result was too many walks and too many hittable pitches up in the zone. Almonte's fastball varied from 92-98 mph depending on how well he was maintaining his delivery. At his best, he still has 70 fastball and a 60 changeup on the 20-to-80 scouting scale, with a below-average curveball. Opposing scouts have long thought Almonte would be better served by throwing a slider or a cutter because his lower arm slot makes it hard to stay on top of his curve. He still has the stuff to be a high-leverage reliever, but his last two seasons have not been encouraging. Almonte has to prove he can handle Triple-A Omaha before getting another shot in Kansas City.
Almonte took a big step forward in 2015 and made it to the big leagues as a reliever in a September callup. The callup did not go well thanks to an uncharacteristic home run problem-all six runs he allowed for Kansas City came off of four home runs. His brutal MLB debut notwithstanding, Almonte's stuff gives him a chance to succeed in the big leagues with fringy control and command. He carried his 94-97 mph velocity throughout his minor league starts. Even if his fastball grades as plus, it's his second-best offering behind his 70-grade changeup. The Royals asked Almonte to shelve his changeup at times to focus on improving his curveball. The tactic was successful. Almonte did a better job of staying on top of the pitch,which allowed for more downward action and sharpness. It flashed plus at best and was average on a regular basis. Almonte's control is average but his command is below-average although his delivery doesn't have any glaring issues. Almonte isn't a finished product, but he has the stuff to be a mid-rotation starter. He should return to Triple-A Omaha in 2016 for some additional polish.
The Royals have had plenty of success developing Dominican pitchers whom they originally signed for inexpensive bonuses. Almonte signed for just $25,000, but he quickly established himself as one of the organization's best pitching prospects with a breakthrough performance at low Class A Lexington in 2013. Almonte's flaws became much more apparent at high Class A Wilmington in 2014. He was able to rely on his changeup to handcuff hitters at low Class A Lexington, but against more advanced Carolina League hitters, his lack of present feel for mixing his pitches was apparent. Almonte's fastball generally sits 91-95 mph and touches 97, but he struggles to locate it to the glove side and too often leaves it up in the zone. When his delivery gets out of whack, his fastball leaks back over the heart of the plate. He commands his plus changeup better than his fastball, which contributes to him becoming too reliant on the pitch. His slurvy curveball always has been a below-average pitch, partly because he throws from a low arm slot. Eventually he may need to switch to a harder slider or cutter, which would better fit his release point. Some scouts believe Almonte's future lies in the bullpen, where he could try to blow hitters away with a plus fastball and changeup. The Royals have every incentive to see if he can sequence his pitches better and improve his command to stick as a starter. He'll head to Double-A Northwest Arkansas for further refinement.
The Royals have developed a pipeline of young Dominican pitchers, starting with Kelvin Herrera and followed by Yordano Ventura and now Almonte, who like his predecessors signed for a bargain price, in his case $25,000. Almonte made the jump to low Class A Lexington just nine months after he was pitching in the Dominican Summer League and performed so well that he earned a spot in the Futures Game. Polished for a 20-year-old with little more than 200 pro innings, he has a smooth, clean delivery, though he is prone to overthrowing. Almonte locates his 90-94 mph fastball, which will touch 97. His mid-80s changeup is above-average as well. Those two pitches were enough to carve up South Atlantic League lineups. He led qualified league starters with 9.1 strikeouts per nine innings. He's still working on the feel for his breaking ball and has a tendency to shelve it. Almonte split a fingernail late in spring training, which played a role with him going back and forth between a spike-curve and a more conventional curveball grip. Almonte doesn't have the ceiling of Kyle Zimmer or Ventura, but he could eventually slot behind them as a No. 3 starter. His ability to throw strikes and his advanced understanding of pitching could earn him a challenging assignment to Double-A Northwest Arkansas to begin 2014.
Several prospects will rise two levels in a year, but few covered the amount of distance that Almonte did to pull off his jump in 2012. Signed for $25,000 in 2010, he started last season in the Rookie-level Dominican Summer League, earned a promotion to the Rookie-level Arizona League, then flew cross-country to Burlington, N.C., for the Appalachian League playoffs. He's still flying under the radar because he has moved so quickly. He's just 19 and has thrown only 27 regular season innings in the United States. Almonte has a good three-pitch mix with a heavy 91-93 mph fastball that touches 96, an average changeup and an inconsistent curveball. He does show feel for spinning for the ball, so he could have three solid offerings in time. Almonte repeats his delivery well and has shown the ability to diagnose his own mechanical flaws and fix them when they crop up, giving him advanced command for his age. Despite Almonte's inexperience, the Royals think the potential No. 3 starter is ready to handle the jump to low Class A.

Minor League Top Prospects

Like Wilmington rotation-mate Sean Manaea, Almonte had issues with his delivery for much of the season. Also like Manaea, he pitched better late in the season, logging a 2.57 ERA with 15 strikeouts and three walks in 14 August innings. Almonte, who signed for just $25,000, has a nice mix of pitches, including a mid-90s fastball up to 95 mph that features good life and a plus changeup with sink. The Royals plan to send him to the Arizona Fall League, where he will see how his stuff plays against elite prospects. At Wilmington, the coaching staff prodded Almonte to pitch more off his fastball, and only then work in his fringy curveball and change.
Almonte needs to improve his breaking ball. There?s only one problem: His changeup is good enough that it?s hard to convince him to throw the breaking ball more often. ?He commands his fastball and his changeup,? Greenville?s Febles said. ?He?s a guy who has a changeup where he can tell you it?s coming and you still can?t hit it. It impressed me.? Almonte?s combination of a 92-95 mph fastball that touches 97 along with a low-80s changeup was enough to baffle many SAL hitters, particularly lefthanders (.600 OPS). He?ll eventually need to sharpen his breaking ball, which before this year was considered the equal of his changeup. He throws strikes, has two plus pitches and excellent feel.