Edgardo Henriquez Proves Development Isn’t Scripted | High-A Best Tools
Baseball is full of unusual development stories.
Players who come from unheralded backgrounds become stars. Others change positions and find new levels of success. Some recover from major injuries to thrive.
The Dodgers’ Edgardo Henriquez checks all three boxes.
A converted catcher signed out of Venezuela in 2018, he took several seasons to marinate as he dealt with ineffectiveness. He had Tommy John surgery that cost him the 2023 season.
The 22-year-old was an afterthought on the Low-A Rancho Cucamonga Opening Day roster. He quickly reached High-A Great Lakes, then Double-A Tulsa and finally Triple-A Oklahoma City in August.
Now, Henriquez has emerged as one of the top reliever prospects in the game, thanks to one of the hardest fastballs in baseball. He sits 99-100 mph and has flirted with 104.
Henriquez mixes four pitches with three different breaking ball shapes in his low-90s cutter, upper-80s slider and a mid-to-high-80s curveball.
He owns a powerful arsenal, but the selling point is his double-plus fastball with above-average ride and armside run.
That gives Henriquez a combination of elite power and good fastball movement as he eyes his MLB debut.
