Starting Pitchers All- Stars:
The hot prospect on the pitching front is Anderson Espinosa. Only 17-years-old the right-hander is on everyone’s trade list when discussing swaps with Boston. Mid 90s fastball, good control, a killer change and a curve that may turn out to be his best pitch. Espinoza will be at the Faux Fenway in Greenville in 2016, but for how long?
Michael Kopech impressed one and all at Greenville in 2015 and especially the MLB testing protocols when Kopech grabbed a 50 game suspension. Kopech is a hard thrower with developing skills with a curve, slider and change. The 19-year-old is a power pitcher with a very high ceiling and 2016 will have Kopech tested at the next level in Salem.
William Cuevas went 11-7 with a 3.17 ERA in a combined Portland and Pawtucket season. The 25-year-old right-hander is certainly not in the rarefied prospect atmosphere, but throws strikes and keeps the ball down. I saw Cuevas at a late season Pawtucket game and he does have the ability to move the ball around with three pitches, but don’t expect anything above 92+ on the radar gun. Cuevas may be the only starter with the PawSox without MLB experience.
Trey Ball has been a disappointment since being drafted in the first round in 2013. A left-hander who is physically very similar to Henry Owens and also in pitch selection. The 20-year-old left-hander is simply not a hard thrower who relies on his ability with multiple pitches. A career BB/9 of 4.0 summarizes the primary issue and that also adds on pitching consistently behind in the count. Ball will start at Salem and move on to Portland with a sudden discover of control.