Name: Gerardo Concepcion
Born: February 29th, 1992
Height/Weight: 6’2’’/180
Position: LHP
2012 Stats: Low-A Peoria: 4 GS, (0-3), 10 2/3 IP, 21 H, 21 R, 15 ER, 8 BB, 5 K, 12.66 ERA
Career Stats: (0-3), 10 2/3 IP, 21 H, 21 R, 15 ER, 8 BB, 5 K, 12.66 ERA, 2.72 WHIP
Game Scouted: May 10th, 2011 vs. Beloit
Analysis: The first thing that I notice about Concepcion is how thin and wiry he is. His frame has plenty of room to fill out and add muscle which will hopefully turn into increased velocity with physically maturity. Concepcion will be nothing until his delivery is consistent and his control and command can grow from a consistent delivery. He currently has a ¾ arm slot that can at times drop to a low ¾ if he isn’t careful. He throws across his body and will go from not finishing his delivery and leaving the ball up to trying to blow his fastball by a hitter and over throwing it into the dirt. His stride is consistent, but short. He has a lot to learn about the mechanics of his delivery and how it affects the outcome of his pitches. He has a good low 90s fastball and a 2-seam fastball that features good boring-in movement to left handed hitters. His curveball moves from 11 to 5 and isn’t particularly good presently. It is easily picked up out of his hand and the fact that he doesn’t have the slightest idea how to locate it is part of the reason he has more walks than strikeouts this season. Another problem that is directly affected by Concepcion’s lack of control/command is his inability to throw first pitch strikes. Of the 19 batters that Concepcion faced he only was up 0-1 on a hitter twice all night. He threw 68 pitches over the course of his 4 innings; 36 of those 68 pitches went for balls. I think I saw one change-up from Concepcion and it was simply just a fastball thrown with a slower arm. Concepcion will seriously struggle to contain the running game as he moves through the minor league ranks. He is slow to the plate with runners on averaging a release time of 1.44. His fastest time I registered was 1.25 and his slowest was 1.56 on two occasions. Not only is Concepcion slow to the plate, but his pick-off move is downright comical. It features a high exaggerated, almost spastic, leg jerk followed by a throw to first. It is ineffective and led to him balking a runner from first to second because half way through his delivery he thought he could switch to his pick-off move. Positive’s in Concepcion’s game: he seems to be mentally tough and have a good work ethic. He didn’t let the lackluster defense behind him, the questionable umpiring behind home plate, or his own lack of control fluster him visibly. He always responded to any adversity by getting right back on the mound and continuing to pitch with no complaints or increased frustration.
Future: Delivery, Consistency, Control, and Command. They are all intertwined and all need serious improvement for Concepcion to reach his celling. I think it is very plausible that once Concepcion can smooth out his delivery that he will excel quickly. The raw stuff is in place to make success easily attainable. The curve has to not show so early. The change-up needs a lot of work. Concepcion will not be a quick project for the Cubs and unfortunately for them, he is currently tying up a 40-man roster spot. If the Cubs exercise patience and don’t rush Concepcion because of the stigma and price tag attached to him, then I believe they still could have a major league starter. With a consistent delivery comes control/command, for Concepcion, those things cannot come soon enough.
Grades
Fastball: 45
Curveball: 35
Change-Up: 30
Control: 30
Delivery: 30
Present Overall: 35
Future Overall: 50