No. 14: Pitching prospect Jedixson Paez
Jedixson Paez continues to exist in the weirdest area I've ever seen a pitching prospect live in. The right-handed pitcher puts up fantastic numbers.
Paez posted a 3.17 ERA, .258 BAA, and 1.12 WHIP in 22 appearances (12 starts) between Single-A and High-A. The 20-year-old struck out 113 batters compared to just 12 walks (seriously) in 96 2/3 innings.
His walk rate has always been fantastic, and it went down even more this year, from 1.28 BB/9 last season to 1.12 BB/9 this season. Strikeouts have always been an issue for him, though. In 2023, Paez had a 7.79 K/9. This year, he had a 10.52 K/9.
The significant jump in strikeouts wasn't due to the jump in velocity we were hoping for. Paez saw a small bump on his fastball and now sits in the low 90s (as compared to around 90 MPH). However, it's still great to see some improvements, especially with his elite control.
Paez has a fantastic changeup in the mid-80s. As his fastball velocity slowly upticks, the changeup gets more devastating. With his control, the late drop terrorizes hitters.
Paez has a slider that is one of my favorites in the system. It's an absolute frisbee. The pitch plays in the low-80s with a long break and plenty of spin. Again, his control comes into play. Paez is great at burying this with two strikes to get hitters chasing, and he can also drop it in the zone to steal a strike.
Finally, there's a solid curveball. Working in the high-70s and with good command, Paez can throw it whenever he wants. However, it doesn't have as good of a break on it as the slider does. Due to that, it feels like his fourth pitch.
Jedixson Paez is a strange case because he has elite control and a good pitch mix. The lack of velocity has left many wondering if he can succeed at the higher levels, though. Personally, I believe Paez is legit. But I do understand the hesitation.
Fastball: 45
Changeup: 50
Slider: 60
Curveball: 45
Control: 70
Overall: 50
No. 13: Catching prospect Johanfran Garcia
Johanfran Garcia was poised for a massive 2024 season. It started that way, too. The right-handed hitter slashed .385/.467/.596 with five doubles and two home runs in 14 games in Single-A this season. He recorded five RBI and five runs.
Sadly, he suffered a knee injury running the bases. I've mentioned a few times how Salem's ballpark is rough on hitters. It particularly irks me here because Garcia hit what would've been a homer anywhere else. He hit the ball so hard off the top of the wall that he had to abruptly stop towards second and try to cut back to first. In doing so, he suffered the injury.
The ballpark literally ended Garcia's season.
Frustratingly, the injury robbed us of the Garcia brothers moving up through the minor leagues together. Jhostynxon Garcia (the older brother) went on to High-A, tore it up, and even got to Double-A. Johanfran would've, at the very least, made it to High-A with his brother.
The injury has additional concern because Garcia is a catcher. A knee injury could lead to him not catching as his primary position, which would hurt his value.
However, Garcia is talented enough that moving away from the position in the future won't completely plummet his value. And, as of right now, he's still a catcher. So that's not being factored in at all.
Garcia doesn't turn 20 until December, so age isn't an issue. He has plus-bat potential and has shown the ability to hit the ball to all fields in his short time in Single-A.
There's plenty of raw power in his bat. We saw Garcia hit two home runs in 14 games with Salem in 2024 (and one in 15 games in 2023). If not for the park, he would've had a handful more. The power should only increase as he matures and adds more bulk. Listed at 5'11", 196 lbs, there might not be much left to add. But some extra muscle is possible. Over 20 home runs from the catcher position is not out of the question.
Garcia doesn't have speed to his game, but he's pretty athletic behind the plate. We've seen solid plate blocking and a phenomenal arm. If he can improve more in aspects such as framing, there's no reason to believe he can't be an above-average defender.
Johanfran Garcia has the tools to be a franchise catcher. Yes, the Red Sox have Kyle Teel. But don't count Garcia out for a massive role in the future. The 2025 season will be a big test for him whenever he's ready to return to the field.
Hit: 50
Power: 55
Run: 35
Arm: 60
Field: 45
Overall: 50