R.J. Alaniz

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Houston Astros #15 prospect in 2012
  Alaniz has better stuff than the typical nondrafted free agent. His high school senior season was canceled in 2009 because of a swine flu outbreak in the Rio Grande Valley. He spent the summer pitching in tryouts and in a league based at Atlanta's East Cobb complex before the Astros signed him for $150,000. Alaniz is far from a finished product but has a chance to develop two plus pitches. His fastball is one of the system's best, sitting at 92-95 mph at times and featuring short, late sink. He uses his heater confidently, with one club official saying, "He likes to grip it and rip it." His belief and control with his fastball helps him keep an aggressive tempo when he's throwing strikes. Alaniz found an effective grip with his changeup as the 2011 season progressed and started to trust it more in the second half. The more he used it, the more he threw it with the same release point and sinking action as his fastball. His changeup is a plus pitch on occasion. Houston considered his curveball the best in the system a year ago; it's a solid pitch at times but lacks consistency. Too often, his curve gets early, loopy action rather than late, sharp break, and he needs to a better job of staying on top of it. Alaniz throws strikes and has gained about 20 pounds since signing, so he's on the path to developing the control and durability to be a workhorse starter. He's also an intriguing possibility as a power reliever. He'll remain in the rotation this year in high Class A.
• 
  Ranked Houston Astros #15 prospect in 2011
  It's understandable how Alaniz slipped through the cracks of the draft. The tall, projectable righty was injured midway through the 2008 high school season, then a swine flu outbreak in the Rio Grande Valley canceled his 2009 high school baseball season. Alaniz already had made an impression on area scout Rusty Pendergrass, who followed him during the summer as Alaniz tried to make up for lost time by pitching in summer league games at Atlanta's East Cobb complex and various tryouts. He touched 95 mph in the Astros workout Pendergrass set up, and Houston won his services with a $150,000 bonus. Alaniz led Rookie-level Greeneville in wins in his debut and generally dominated with the exception of three awful starts, when he yielded 21 of his 32 runs in eight innings. He showed good life on his fastball, which reached 94 mph after signing and sat at 90-91, and impressed with his ability to locate it. His curveball ranks as the best in a system populated more by sliders than curves. It's an average pitch with depth when he stays on top of it, and it can get better because he has a nice ability to spin it. His changeup has good sink and gives him a third potential average to plus pitch. Alaniz has to be more consistent with his mechanics and release point, but his upside is intriguing. He's set to join the Lexington rotation in 2011.