MLB: Four Teams Stacked with Hard-Throwers in the Minors

Baseball America recently listed over 60 of the hardest-throwing MLB farmhands, along with their affiliate and how hard they throw. So I thought it would be interesting to dig a little deeper and see just what that velocity has translated into statistically. Here is a look at four teams with the highest number of flamethrowers.

In recent MLB seasons, velocity has seen a rise among starters and relievers by an increase of about 0.2 miles per hour each year according to Baseball America. Over the last decade and a half, fastballs among starting pitchers have risen in average velocity from 89.0 mph to 92.3 in 2015.

As baseball has become more of a global game, there is now more of a chance of finding players with the potential of topping 100 miles per hour. J.J. Cooper thinks this uptick in velocity is due to a few factors: “…improved physical training. Long-tossing, throwing with weighted balls and improved techniques for strengthening shoulders have both reduced shoulder injuries and increased velocity almost across the board.”

Of the list that is provided, four teams stick out with having a number of hard-throwing prospects. Being that they are prospects, and not all of them pan out or even reach MLB, these teams are simply playing the law of averages that at least a couple of their big arms will turn into valuable assets down the road.

Those four teams are the Miami Marlins (6), New York Yankees (9), Seattle Mariners (4) and Detroit Tigers (4). Oddly enough, these four teams nearly comprise the four corners of the United States, save for Detroit. Three of the teams are in the American League while the Marlins are the lone representative in the NL, which could give them a leg up on the competition if their plan comes to fruition.

Seattle Mariners

Aneurys Zabala (Dominican Republic), RHP, 19: Topped out at 100 mph and just completed his third season in the Mariners organization. He spent 2016 in Rookie ball, where he was nearly a year and a half younger than the average player. He went 1-5 with a 2.88 ERA, 1.200 WHIP, struck out 28 batters in 25 innings (10.1 K/9) and walked 15 in that span for a BB/9 of 5.4, which oddly enough was the same rate at which he gave up hits.

Dan Altavilla (Mercyhurst College), RHP, 24: Also hit 100 on the radar gun and made his MLB debut on August 27 in Chicago against the White Sox. He was drafted in 2014 and had advanced one level each summer, starting in Low-A in 2014 and then in Double-A in 2016 before being called straight up to Seattle. He made 15 relief appearances with the club, totaling 12 1/3 innings pitched, striking out 10 (7.3 K/9) and walking just one (0.7 BB/9) in his time with the Mariners. Both of those rates had been higher at every stop along his path to MLB, but after transitioning to the bullpen in 2015 he looked to be more effective. According to FanGraphs, Altavilla averaged 96.4 with his heater and also offered an 89 mph slider.

Luiz Gohara (Brazil), LHP, 20: Gohara has hit 101 and been with the Mariners organization since 2013, spending time in each of the last two seasons split between Everett (A-) and Clinton (A+). Most of his time in 2016 was spent with the Clinton LumberKings, where he totaled 54 1/3 innings, held a 1.82 ERA and struck out 60 batters (9.9  K/9) while walking 20 (3.3 BB/9). He also held a 1.178 WHIP. His ERA has been getting under control as he has continued to develop, which coincides with his improved command. His ERA topped out at 10.37 in 2014 when he had his highest walk rate at 5.8 per nine frames. Since Gohara was signed before he was 18, he has one more year until he is Rule 5 eligible, which could lead to some big expectations from the lefty in 2017.

Thyago Vieira (Brazil), RHP, 23: Vieira has hit 104 on the gun, which is the highest of any player on BA’s list. Vieira has been making the slow and steady climb through the Mariners system, making one stop per year over his six seasons in professional baseball, twice reporting to the Venezuelan Summer League (2011-12) and twice to A-ball with Clinton (2014-15). In 2016 the 6’2″ righty made the climb to Hi-A with the Bakersfield Blaze, accruing 53 strikeouts in 44 1/3 innings pitched while holding a 2.84 ERA. His strikeouts per nine went up from 6.4 to 10.8 between 2015 and 2016, while his walk rate dropped from 5.8 to 3.7.

This was Vieira’s third season working in relief, and if he continues progressing in the early going of 2017, he could be a sneaky pick for a September call-up. The one problem here is that Vieira is Rule 5 eligible, and while the Mariners could attempt to hide him on their Triple-A roster in an effort to retain his services, there may be a team out there willing to take a chance on a young, hard-throwing righty to add to their big league bullpen. At the moment he is not on the 40-man roster, so a tough decision will have to be made.

Miami Marlins

Andy Beltre (Dominican Republic), RHP, 23: Heading into 2016, Beltre had accumulated just 17 innings pitched since 2012, five of which came in 2013 and 12 in 2014 before missing the entire 2015 season. The right-hander returned to post a 1.74 ERA combined between A-ball and Hi-A Jupiter, totaling 46 2/3 innings. His strikeout rate was above 10 (10.3), while his walk rate was right where it has been all along, hovering between 3.5 and 4.0. With health on his side, that walk rate will presumably begin to go down as he gets more reps. 2017 will be his seventh season playing ball since he signed as a 16-year-old.

Brian Ellington (University of West Florida), RHP, 26: Ellington has seen stints in Miami in each of the past two seasons, totaling 58 frames and a 2.64 ERA in that span. It would appear as though he would be due for a bigger role given those numbers, but his walk rate of 4.4 per nine is a bit high for an MLB reliever, especially if his strikeout rate is just under one an inning. Sometimes one can offset the other just a bit, but that’s not the case here for the time being. With some improved command, Ellington could certainly be vying for a regular spot in the Marlins bullpen in 2017.

Jose Adames (Dominican Republic), RHP, 23: Adames is the Marlins’ #29 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, but in his second stint in Hi-A this season he actually regressed just a bit, seeing his ERA go up from 5.38 to 6.19 and his walk rate up from 4.3 to 5.1. The one big difference between the two seasons is that 2016 was Adames’ first in the bullpen, so an adjustment period is to be expected. Like the three players above him in this list, Adames has topped out at 100 miles per hour.

Luis Castillo (Dominican Republic), RHP, 23: Castillo is one of the few names on the list so far that has stuck as a starter to this point, getting the ball in 26 games this season, 24 of which were starts. After holding a 2.07 ERA over 117 2/3 innings with Hi-A Jupiter, he made his final three starts in Double-A with the Jumbo Shrimp where he totaled 14 innings and a 3.86 ERA. His walk rate took a big jump in those 14 innings, but given the small sample size it’s likely not enough to be worried about just yet.

Tayron Guerrero (Colombia), RHP, 25: Guerrero came over from the San Diego Padres in the Andrew Cashner deal, which also lead to the suspension of Pads’ GM A.J. Preller. Castillo (above) was the player that was returned to the Marlins. Guerrero made his MLB debut with the Padres before the trade, but afterwards was back in Double-A with the Marlins where he pitched very effectively, totaling 14 innings and holding a 1.93 ERA while walking just 1.9 per nine. Guerrero was acquired for depth purposes, but if he can continue to control the strike zone, he’s another prospect that could have an impact at the MLB level for Miami next season.

Tyler Kolek (Shepherd High School), RHP, 20: Kolek was a first round pick by the Marlins in 2014, selected second overall right after the Astros took Brady Aiken. Kolek had Tommy John surgery in April, so he will likely miss the beginning of the 2017 season while he continues to recover. Before his injury, Kolek’s walk rate had been hovering around five per nine in his two professional seasons. Castillo, Guerrero and Kolek have all touched 101.

Detroit Tigers

Adam Ravenelle (Vanderbilt), RHP, 24: Originally drafted in the 44th round of the 2011 draft by the Yankees, Ravenelle held off and was taken in the fourth round by the Tigers in 2014. The hardest thrower of the Tigers quartet (101) split his time nearly evenly between Hi-A Lakeland and Double-A Erie, combining for a 3.88 ERA, a strikeout rate of 8.8 and a walk rate of 5.1. The struggles he endured in Double-A, including a 4.85 ERA and 9.1 hits per nine allowed, were not terribly surprising after the right-hander posted a 7.84 ERA and allowed 12.2 hits per nine in his limited work in last year’s Arizona Fall League against roughly the same level of competition.

Pegged as the Tigers’ #29 prospect by Baseball America before the season, MLB Pipeline currently ranks him at #20 after their midseason re-ranking. Pipeline also says that health is a key factor for Ravenelle moving forward. If he can stay healthy, they see his ceiling as a setup man in the big leagues.

Gerson Moreno (Dominican Republic), RHP, 21: Moreno made his professional debut at the age of 17 in the Dominican Summer League, and at every stop along the way he has been roughly two years younger than the average competition, including in Hi-A Lakeland this past season when he was 3.1 years younger than the median. Given his struggles (6.93 ERA, 7.3 BB/9) and the fact that he just turned 21 years old, Moreno should see an extended look at Lakeland again in 2017. Since the beginning of the 2015 season in Lo-A, Moreno has not held a strikeout rate below 8.7, and has seen it rise as high as 9.9 this past season in Hi-A.

Sandy Baez (Dominican Republic) RHP, 22: Baez is being developed as a starter at this point in time, and he hasn’t has the issue that most young hard throwers have, which is finding the strike zone. Over five seasons and 339 2/3 innings pitched, Baez holds a walk rate of just 2.5. The problem for Baez has been that he allows too many hits, averaging a 9.1 H/9 rate over that same timeframe. Per Pipeline, the key for Baez moving forward will be repeating his delivery to develop into an effective MLB player.

Wladimir Pinto (Venezuela) RHP, 18: Pinto has been with the Tigers for just two seasons now, and the improvement he showed statistically from 2015 to 2016 was quite dramatic. His walk rate went from 9.1 to 3.8 while his strikeout rate went from 7.8 to 12.2. After pitching in the Gulf Coast League in 2016, it may be time for Pinto to make the jump out of the rookie ranks and into one of the Tigers’ other affiliates. He’s still young, however, so Detroit won’t be in any rush to move him along if they feel he isn’t quite ready.