Minor League Baseball League Top 10s: Texas League
10. Ariel Jurado, RHP, Texas Rangerss
A “stall” season for Jurado has him here as he’d likely be a top 3-4 prospect in the league if he pitched at the same level as 2016. Instead, he took a step back in many respects in 2017, but that raw underlying talent is still there.
Jurado is not an intimidating figure on the mound, listed at 6’1″ and 180 pounds, which is probably about right on the height, but the weight has varied plenty this year, and while no one I’ve talked to has said such, visible fluctuations in his weight over the year certainly weren’t “good” for him.
Jurado is still just 21, so he has time to rebound, and his fastball still works tremendously well low in the zone, a tremendous sinking fastball with incredible action low in the zone. His lack of a true strikeout pitch caught up with him this season.
Of his offspeed stuff, Jurado’s change is by far his best pitch, mimicking the sinking action of his heavy fastball initially but then hanging at one point in the break where the fastball would continue its downward trajectory. This leads to plenty of poor contact when he spots the pitch well, but when he “aims” the pitch, it can be a hanging low-80s pitch in a perfect spot to drive, and his struggles with his control over command, Jurado saw 16 balls leave the park.
Jurado also works with a slider that has plus potential but currently sits average, if that. However, the pitch has excellent snap when he is willing to let the pitch tail out of the zone rather than trying to pin point the pitch.
If Jurado can get back to simply letting his pitches do what they naturally can, this is one of the 2-3 most talented pitchers to have thrown a pitch in the league this season. He very well could come back again in 2018 to open the season, and at his age, that would not be a huge issue in his age development.
9. Enyel De Los Santos, RHP, San Diego Padres
The Mariners originally signed de los Santos out of the Dominican Republic in 2014, but he exploded onto the scene belying his $15,000 signing bonus due to his velocity jumping from mid-80s to mid-90s by the time he made his pro debut. He was an older prospect when signed, 18 years old at the time. The Padres acquired him in trade in 2015, and he showed very well across both class A teams in 2016, striking out 97 in 121 innings.
Enyel stands 6’3″ and is wiry, to say the least, however, he filled in his frame between 2016 and 2017 to the point where he’s a true 180-185 rather than making the listed 170 look like he was holding dumbbells previously. That added size added a tick of velocity from previous reports in the games I witnessed, as he was able to dial up a fastball to sit 94-96 and touch 98 with some very impressive late movement on the pitch.
With his physical maturity seemingly came a better feel for his offspeed stuff as well, as he had a changeup that would grade as above-average previously, and it was a fringe-plus pitch in 2017. His curve really played up with better feel on the pitch, working as an above-average pitch.
The big improvement in de los Santos in 2017 was not his velocity, but his command. His walk rate was not terribly better than previous seasons, but it’s how he got there that was impressive. For a pitcher with a ceiling of a 5th starter or reliever last season, de los Santos has moved himself squarely into the future starter role after a 3.78 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, and a 48/138 BB/K over 150 innings performance in 2017.
The Padres will likely push Enyel up to the PCL and AAA in 2018, and he could really begin to turn heads if he’s able to continue to perform on the doorstep of the big leagues.