April 19, 2018 at 8:00 AM
Notes from the Field: Juan Florentino, Oddainer Mosqueda and more
At the end of March, the SoxProspects Staff made their annual trip to Minor League Spring Training. Over the next few weeks their notes and observations will be featured on SoxProspects News. Here is the fifth edition of Notes from the Field from Spring Training 2018 taking a look at four more young arms.
Dominican right-hander Juan Florentino was one of the bullpen standouts in the lower minors last year, putting up a 0.96 ERA with 25 strikeouts to only 2 walks in 18 2/3 innings in Lowell, them moving up to Greenville and posting a 2.12 ERA and 18 strikeouts to 4 walks in 17 innings in Greenville. Last year, Florentino’s fastball sat 93-95 mph, but this spring his velocity was down to 89-91 mph. The drop in velocity may have been because this look was in a simulated game, so he may not have had the same adrenaline as he would if he were facing opposing hitters. Alternatively, he may have been working on his secondary pitches and fastball command and wasn’t airing it out. However, that he was placed back in Greenville to start the 2018 season after a very successful stint in Low A last year—plus that his partner-in-crime in Joan Martinez, who similarly dominated the two levels with Florentino, did receive a promotion to Salem—suggests that perhaps the velocity drop was consistent, and his performance this season in this relatively conservative placement bears watching.
Florentino’s changeup did look better than last year, though it was inconsistent. He had much more separation on the pitch than previous, throwing it 82-83 mph, down from the upper 80s. He also mixed in a curveball at 76-78 mph with vertical break. Last year, the pitch was slurvey and alternated between looking more like a slider during some outings and a curveball in others.
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After a strong year in his second DSL season in 2017, 19-year-old right-hander Andres Jimenez made the jump stateside for Spring Training this year. Jimenez has an average frame with some projection remaining, listed at 6-foot-1, 170 pounds. He throws from a three-quarters arm slot and utilizes a medium leg kick with no wind-up. Jimenez’s fastball sat 86-88 mph with some late movement down in the zone. He complimented it with changeup at 82-83 mph and curveball at 72-73 mph. The changeup lacked separation from his fastball, but did show late vertical drop.
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18-year-old left-hander Oddainer Mosqueda had a rough year in the GCL in 2017, but he showed a significant velocity increase from last Spring Training. He sat 87-89 mph in my looks at him last March, but Mosqueda’s velocity jumped up to 91-93 mph this year. As an undersized lefty listed at 5-foot-10 with minimal projection due to his height, the increase is noteworthy, but if his command and control don’t improve, it won’t do much good.
Mosqueda throws from a low three-quarters arm slot, setting up on the third base side of the rubber. His breaking ball did show some potential when he threw it at 76-78 mph, but the pitch was inconsistent, and he mixed in several slower, loopier ones at 70-72 mph. He did show confidence in the pitch and threw it often, in any count, both in the zone and out. Mosqueda also showed a changeup at 83-84 mph, but it was on the firm side and he slowed his arm on it, telegraphing the pitch at times. He also threw what looked like a cutter at 87 mph, but it may just have been a fastball that he cut accidentally due to his inconsistent mechanics.
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20-year-old Brazilian left-hander Edilson Batista sat 90-92 mph out of the pen with no command or control. Batista has a solid pitcher’s frame, listed at 6-foot-3, 210 pounds, but his delivery needs work. He throws from a three-quarters arm slot, but he doesn’t pitch downhill and lands hard and off-balance on his front side. Batista also showed a changeup at 82-83 mph and curveball at 72 mph.
Photo credit: Juan Florentino by Kelly O'Connor