Reyes Moronta

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked San Francisco Giants #15 prospect in 2018
  Moronta is another late-blooming Latin American Giants pitching prospect. He didn't throw his first pro pitch until he was 18 and didn't reach full-season ball until he was 22--but just two years later he made his big league debut. A few weeks later, he was striking out Paul Goldschmidt and J.D. Martinez. Moronta's listed weight of 175 pounds bears no relation to his actual size (which is probably closer to 230 pounds). He's a short, thick-bodied righthander with a mid- to upper-90s fastball and a plus slider he's comfortable throwing in any count. Moronta uses his fastball to get to the slider. His control has been fringy, but it's more that he nibbles trying to get hitters to chase rather than an inability to throw strikes. Moronta's fastball is a bit straight, so even at 96-98 it's more hittable than his low-80s slider, which has enough depth to at times look like a power curve. Moronta has the stuff to pitch in high-leverage situations and seems intimidated by no one. He should be a part of the Giants' bullpen in 2018.
• 
  Ranked San Francisco Giants #12 prospect in 2017
  Moronta began the 2016 season as Rodolfo Martinez's setup man at high Class A San Jose before ascending to the closer job when the Giants promoted Martinez to Double-A Richmond. In his first week in the job, Moronta struck out eight in five scoreless innings while allowing only one hit and one walk. He is more advanced than Martinez with better control and a better slider. Moronta sits 95-97 mph with his heater and touches triple digits at his best. He does a good job of locating his fastball down in the strike zone. His hard slider has a short, late bite and can be a plus pitch as well. He can loosen his breaking ball to throw it in the zone early in counts. He even throws a changeup sporadically to take advantage of the element of surprise. Moronta is at least 50 pounds heavier than his listed weight of 175 pounds and conditioning is a concern, but so far his weight has not inhibited his ability to find the strike zone. He has at least average control for a reliever already and locates better than most Class A relievers. The Giants added Moronta to the 40-man roster after the 2016 season and he's ready for Richmond.