New York Yankees prospect Domingo Acevedo began the 2017 season in Single-A with the Tampa Yankees. The start was not a very good one as he went 0-4 with a 4.57 ERA in seven starts. Since his promotion to Double-A, Acevedo has been a changed man.
The Trenton Thunder have been a magical team this year. Many of the New York Yankees top prospects began the season on their roster and are already knocking on the big league door with the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders. Chance Adams and Gleyber Torres have already received their promotion. Soon enough, they could be joined by a few others.
Acevedo will probably have to wait a little longer as he has made only two starts for the Thunder. However, both have been very good. Acevedo has now tossed 13.2 scoreless innings for Trenton while striking out 14 and walking just two. The impressive 0.00 ERA has come as a surprise following the weak performance on level down.
This version of Acevedo is completely different than the one from Tampa. For whatever reason, Acevedo couldn’t seem to handle Single-A batters but those at Double-A have been easy marks through his first two outings.
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It’s not a complete surprise to see Acevedo have this much success. As the 13th ranked prospect in the Yankees’ system, there was already some hype.
Size will definitely help Acevedo in the long-term. Acevedo stands at 6’7 and carries a 240-pound frame. A height of this magnitude is often an advantage for pitchers as it increases their power from the mound. Plus, it can be quite intimidating to see.
Logically, Acevedo was probably not ready for Double-A. His Single-A numbers were certainly indicative of this. A little bit of faith in his abilities convinced the Yankees to promote him anyway. Thus far, it has been the right move. His path toward the big leagues has accelerated dramatically.
While Acevedo has been a solid pitcher in his short professional baseball career, there is always a chance he makes his bones as a relief pitcher. The Yankees could soon begin grooming him into becoming the next Dellin Betances. They don’t appear in any rush to do so as his current scoreless streak in Double-A will first have to play itself out.
Acevedo will have plenty of competition en route to the big leagues. MLB.com considers him only the franchise’s sixth best pitching prospect. This will increase the possibility of transitioning into a relief role.
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For now, the Yankees and the Thunder will just have to enjoy Acevedo’s success in the early innings.