November 24, 2003
Editor’s note – This is the fourth in a series of installments of the annual Minor Opinions Prospect Report, an OWA exclusive.
Fernando Abad
DOB: 12/17/85. Ht.: 6-2. Wt.: 170. Bats: R. Throws: R. Acquired: Signed as a non-drafted free agent (12/3/02) from La Romana, Dominican Republic.
Spring Training Comments:
N/A.
Update:
Before speaking of Abad and the others, it’s worth noting that this year’s list of left-handers has grown from a grand total of three last off-season to nine. Houston has added some very intriguing, but mostly very young, arms to the system in the last year.
Abad may be the early leader amongst the young port-siders. He has good size, somewhat advanced command of three pitches (high-80s fastball, curve, change) and is a very good athlete who fields his position very well. In the coming seasons, physical maturity of the thin teenager could very well lead to more giddyup on the heater. Fernando’s somewhat deceptive delivery, good mound presence and command also portend for a bright future.
As with all Dominican signees, however, we’ll probably have to wait out INS testing to see if Abad’s birthday is shifty as his moving fastball. Our guess is that this process will begin next season as he will probably get a chance to crack the Martinsville rotation after only one season of Latin Summer League ball, ala Ronnie Martinez last season.
Phil Barzilla
DOB: 1/25/79. Ht.: 5-11. Wt.: 180. Bats: L. Throws: L. Acquired: 4th-round pick in 2001 draft out of Rice.
Spring Training Comments:
N/A.
Update:
Barzilla topped off another nice season by being selected by the Astros to participate in the Arizona Fall League, not all that common for a player without any AA or AAA experience. That lack of a background in facing more developed hitters may have cost him as he got absolutely blitzed in the desert: 18 hits and 5 free passes allowed in just 7 IP (10 games) with a 12.86 ERA.
Barzilla doesn’t throw particularly hard with a fastball in the 86-89 range (occasionally hitting low 90’s). His out pitch is his curve ball, but the southpaw has problems at times spotting it. Hence, the relatively high walk totals. It’s interesting to note, however, that even with those control problems (and sometimes getting balls up in the strike zone) the former Owl has been pretty darn successful in staying away from the gopher ball: just 3 dingers allowed in 179 IP over the last 2 seasons.
The key to his 2004 season at Round Rock will be (surprise!) his command of the breaking ball. If he can master that, the Sugar Land native might just find himself pitching before some hometown crowds in the next couple of seasons.
Juan Beltre
DOB: 7/7/80. Ht.: 6-0. Wt.: 175. Bats: L. Throws: L. Acquired: Signed as non-drafted free agent (2/19/00) from Azua, Dominican Republic.
Spring Training Comments:
Pencil-thin left-hander…sports a fastball in the low 90s, a slider and change…in first exposure to baseball in the US, he worked from the bullpen in Martinsville and showed excellent control…hard to make any sort of serious prognostication on a kid with all of 40 or so innings in rookie ball but reports indicate he has the kind of arm speed and physical projection that should allow for him to become a starter down the line with even more oomph on the heater…someone to keep an eye on, anyway, for 2-3 years down the road…if he’s still sporting good ratios at that time we can get very excited.
Update:
At 23 years of age (21 under the Dominican calendar) and still pitching in rookie ball, it’s kinda hard to work up a tremendous amount of excitement about Beltre despite another generally successful season out of the bullpen. Still, the fact that he throws with his left hand and those nice strikeout to walk numbers probably means he won’t be joining the unemployment line anytime soon. Because of his DAS-adjusted age, we’d like to see Juan moved up the ladder pronto. Skipping him up to start the season at Salem next year works for us, but knowing this organization we’ll probably have to settle for a mid-season promotion to the Avs after (hopefully) a successful first half at Lexington.
Jesse Carlson
DOB: 12/31/80. Ht.: 6-2. Wt.: 170. Bats: L. Throws: L. Acquired: Originally a 15th-round pick of the Tigers in 2002 draft out of the U of Connecticut. Released by Detroit and signed by the Astros (3/31/03).
Spring Training Comments:
N/A.
Update:
Carlson was completely dominating in short season A ball in 2002 after being drafted by the Tigers. So why the subsequent release this past spring training? It wasn’t because they thought he couldn’t pitch. The story goes that Detroit requires its rookies to undergo a hazing ritual (aka “morale-building exercise”) involving skits, etc. Carlson and two other young players concocted a little rap ditty that just happened to mention the wife of Carlson’s manager in 2002 at Oneonta, former Padre utility player Randy Ready. Mention as in a lewd kinda way. Ready was not amused. Carlson, 10th-round pick Luke Carlin and 28th-rounder Everett Hancock all found themselves on the street.
Jesse contended the offending lyrics were not his idea. The conservative Astros investigated and musta bought off on Carlson’s explanation as they decided to sign him. Carlin hooked on with the Padres organization where he eventually ended up in Fort Wayne as a teammate of the Astros’ own former prodigal child, Cory Doyne. Hancock apparently is no longer in baseball.
The multi-tatoo’d Carlson proved to be a tremendous steal as he mowed down South Atlantic League batters once the Astros assigned him to Lexington in mid-April. His overall numbers for the season are eye-popping, but his numbers over the final 3 months are out of this world. In 44.1 IP covering 36 games (including 2 playoff appearances), Jesse allowed just 19 hits while whiffing 58 and walking only 9. His ERA during this period was a measly 0.81. Carlson’s 35-inning scoreless streak occurred during this stretch (long scoreless streaks aren’t exactly new to Carlson: he had a 23-inning one in 2002 at Oneonta).
Carlson’s out pitch is his “slurve”, which assistant GM Tim Purpura calls “as nasty a breaking ball as any young lefty”. His fastball is nothing special, clocking in at 87-88 mph and occasionally touching low-90’s. His 3rd pitch is a change. But what makes him so devastating (in addition to the nastiness of that breaking pitch) is the excellent command he has of all 3 pitches. Carlson is especially effective against lefties: they hit just .144 against him in ’03.
As we said this summer, this guy is on a fast track in the organization. If all goes well in winter ball (he’s pitching in Puerto Rico for Caguas), Purpura says Carlson will skip high A-ball and start next season in Round Rock. Don’t be surprised to see this guy pitching in the Juice Box at some point in 2004. Just look at Mike Gallo, another lefty who went from low A-ball one season to pitching in the majors the next. And with all due respect to Gallo (who we happen to like), Carlson’s the better pitcher. Particularly when you take into account the fact that Carlson is nearly four years younger than Gallo.
Victor Garate
DOB: 9/25/84. Ht.: 6-1. Wt.: 160. Bats: L. Throws: L. Acquired: Signed as non-drafted free agent (12/10/01) from Maracay, Venezuela.
Spring Training Comments:
N/A.
Update:
Moved from the bullpen to the rotation in his second season with Venoco in the VZ Summer League, Garate had an outstanding season culminating in his being named team MVP. Victor does not yet possess an overwhelming fastball (mid-to-upper 80s) or a vast arsenal of pitches. He relies on excellent location and an advanced changeup at this point. Development of a solid third pitch will be key to his advancement. Garate is noted as a very good athlete with a wiry, strong body. Such a description leads one to believe he’s a solid candidate for increased velocity in the coming years.
A ridiculously low WHIP rate of 0.80 (39 hits in 71 IP? very nice) indicates Garate doesn’t have much more to learn at this level of pitching. He should also get a crack at the Martinsville roster next season.
Wandy Rodriguez
DOB: 1/18/79. Ht.: 5-10. Wt.: 180. Bats: S. Throws: L. Acquired: Signed as non-drafted free agent (1/12/99) from Bonao, Dominican Republic.
Spring Training Comments:
Will probably never throw as hard as fellow Venezuelan lefty Carlos Hernandez but he’s of the same mold, a short left-hander with a very good curveball…fastball usually resides in the 89-91 territory and is somewhat straight in contrast to Carlos the Jackal’s 93-94 MPH with hop on it…if there is one thing Rodriguez has over Carlos at this stage of development, though, it’s control…in 233.1 innings pitched as a professional in the U.S., Wandy has walked only 64 batters while punching out 204…the success he had last season with Lexington was somewhat surprising…yes, he dominated rookie ball with Martinsville in 2001, but with the lack of a really good fastball the Sally League figured to be more challenging…Rodriguez though was up to that challenge and had a fine season, leading all Legend starters in strikeouts, innings pitched and wins…still have some reservations about his ability to be as successful next year in the Carolina League but may surprise again.
Update:
The pitcher formerly known as Eny Cabreja had a strong first half (after missing a month and a half at the start of the year when his true identity was unmasked during the visa process), going 6-2 with a 2.28 ERA in 10 starts. The league might have caught up with him in the second half, as Wandy’s final 10 starts of the year saw him go 2-5 with a 4.88 ERA. His strikeout totals, down significantly even in the first half compared to 2002, plunged even further in the latter half.
As was 2003, next year is likely to be another “show me” season for Rodriguez as he presumably joins Jared Gothreaux and newcomer Ezequiel Astacio in the starting rotation at Round Rock. The second half struggles of this season plus continuing questions about whether Wandy can get out even more advanced hitters without that good fastball suggests to us a less than banner AA campaign. If he does get punched around as a starter, look for a move to the bullpen.
Julio Salazar
DOB: 6/24/83. Ht.: 6-0. Wt.: 180. Bats: L. Throws: L. Acquired: Signed as a non-drafted free agent (7/6/00) from Rubio, Tachira, Venezuela.
Spring Training Comments:
N/A.
Update:
Quite frankly, we’re not sure what to say about Salazar. Not a single scout we’ve spoken to had a solid comment regarding his stuff, projectability, anything. It seems as though he’s just flying under the radar, calmly retiring hitters at a damned efficient rate.
After a very nice season in 2002 with Venoco, Salazar made quick work of the Rookie-level Appalachian League and later in the season was promoted to Lexington to help that squad. He was moved from the rotation to the bullpen and in 8 appearances did a respectable job for the low-A Legends. A very impressive US debut in our opinion.
Salazar is currently throwing out of the bullpen with Caracas in the VZ Winter League. Our presumption is that he will likely get a return ticket for Lexington in 2004. Whether as a starter or reliever, we’re not sure. When we acquire more in-depth information about Salazar, we will pass it on. For now, though, he looks intriguing.
Sergio Severino
DOB: 9/1/84. Ht.: 5-11. Wt.: 150. Bats: L. Throws: L. Acquired: Signed as non-drafted free agent (4/16/03) from (unknown), Dominican Republic.
Spring Training Comments:
N/A.
Update:
Severino is a very thin and raw product with some exciting potential. He has very good arm speed and a sharp curve but he lacks the kind of command Abad showed this past season in the Dominican Summer League. Sergio’s fastball has a little oomph on it, occasionally hitting 90-91, and his third pitch is a pretty solid change.
Despite not being refined as either Abad or Garate, it’s possible Severino may jump to the States for the 2004 season. He is a full year older (for now) than Abad and the same age as Garate. Severino’s strikeout rates also exceeded any other starting pitcher in the entire system.
It’s too early to make definitive comparisons but talk surrounding Severino sounds vaguely like that of a poor man’s Carlos Hernandez at age 18.
Enyelbert Soto
DOB: 8/20/82. Ht.: 6-1. Wt.: 200. Bats: L. Throws: L. Acquired: Signed as a non-drafted free agent (8/18/99) from Maracaibo, Venezuela.
Spring Training Comments:
N/A.
Update:
OK, so what’s the deal with including a 21-year old who has a decent season in the VZ Summer League on this list? Call us suckers for guys who survive two years of inactivity with arm issues and revive their careers, plus we like the name “Enyelbert”.
After the 2000 season, Soto looked to be someone to keep an eye on as he dominated the VSL on a team that included players like Hector Gimenez and Saul Torres. The aforementioned arm problems kept him from fulfilling his promise.
Soto can throw the ball in the upper-80s and occasionally hits the low-90s. Given his age and lack of experience beyond the lowest levels of pro ball, if he’s to move at all up in the system he’ll likely be confined to the bullpen. That’s where he’s currently toiling for Occidente in the VZ Winter League.
Next week: RHPs (Part 1 of 3)