9-Notes: 29.044 – A Look at Future Nine Pitchers

[RonCo]

After expending their first selection of the 2029 draft process on 3B Earl Jackson, the Yellow Springs front office went to work on refilling the team’s lower minor leagues with arms, using 6 of the next nine selections on pitchers. The results appear at first blush to be a group of solid pitchers with a few good pockets of upside. Add in a couple of the club’s young International Free agent signings, and you’ve got the makings of potentially crushed dreams everywhere.

Rotation Hopefuls:

Perhaps the most interesting of the collection is 6’3”, 190 lb. Luuk van den Hoek, a 17 year old who throws 95 already, and who scouts grade out as a 9/6/5 talent, but who carries a solid four-pitch arsenal that has some prognosticators somewhat giddy. His slide/forkball combination should keep the ball on the ground most of the time, and the team likes his base make-up. With luck, we’ll soon be able to see someone tag him with the nickname “Who’s Your Daddy.”

Tristan “Dreamland” Alfama (8/7/7/) is an 18 year old IFA out of Venezuela who the team gave $3M to sign on the dotted line. One suspects that some of the PP created by this missive will go into his future schooling, as some teammates suggest his nickname has a lot to do with his attention span. But he throws 95 already, but with an interesting slider/change/cutter repertoire that have scouts drooling. Look for him to be in the Rookie League soon.

The Nine drafted 17-year-old Russian Michail Nagbin with their fourth selection. He throws four pitches that scouts project to be passable major league fare, with a forkball that might develop. His 8/7/6 talents make him interesting already, so any bump at all could turn him into a star. Some fans wonder if he might someday be asked to adjust his approach, drop a few pitches, and focus on throwing 1-2 innings at a time, but that’s a question for another time.Today he’s pitching at Alamogordo, A-ball, and is 1-0 in three GS, with a 4.02 ERA.

Then there’s 17 year old lefty Momcilo Djuretic, another IFA given an unhealthy bonus because of a 7/7/6 rating projection and a set of three 8-rated pitches (curve, change, cutter), that include a slider sidecar. He’s another PP eater, but he’s 17…what 17-year-old Bulgarian can’t use a few PP?

Juan Jose Perez came to the team with its 7th pick, and sent his straight to R-Alamogordo where he and his 7/7/5 talents are 1-1 in three starts. At 16, the future is ahead of him, and it’s an uncertain future. He’s going to need a bump or two to make it

Finally, with the team’s 10th pick, the Nine selected 16 year-old Fernando Ortiz (6/6/5). Normally, this kind of prospect wouldn’t raise an eyebrow, but scouts like Ortiz’s fastball and slider a lot, and they love the scores he gives on the standard psych examn.

Future Bullpen Studs:

Oh, to be Joey Graham. 17 years old, 100 MPH fastball, and a curve that drops off a table. Selected with Yellow Springs’ fifth pick. He’s 5’9”, 155 pounds, but generates that kind of power from a remarkable, whip-it-like motion. And he’s able to go deep into games—trains for marathons in his free time. Add to it that the kid comes from Jerusalem, and you’ve just got to start wondering…I mean, seriously? Anyway, the kid’s wild now…as his 10/7/4 talents say he would be. But with a 2.18 ERA at A-ball despite 8 walks in 20 innings, one might think that this kid can overcome that…and with a few PP and a miracle touch, maybe that 4 CON talent will bump…and if that happens. Well… Or maybe the change comes in as a beast, too. A full-throttle 10 on top of that fastball and curve…in which case…oh, to be Joey Graham.

20 year-old closer Jerry Ivory was the team’s second selection in the draft, and signed a $340K bonus to become a pro after a year of higher education at Brisbane. He’s never had an ERA over 2.00, and with 8/7/8 talents and a slider/cutter repertoire that is already moving around pretty well, several of the club’s baseball people suggest that Ivory will soon be the Nine’s closer. We’re not sure of that, but we wouldn’t argue with anyone who saw him holding down an important spot in the pen for several years.

Costa Rican IFA Jesus “Big Apple” Hernandez (8/6/7 talents) was thrilled to sign a contract with the Nine. “It’s a great and upcoming team. I can’t wait to get there.” Neither can fans and the team’s baseball folks—though everyone sees him as an anomaly—a guy with great stamina (9), but a reliever’s repertoire (curveball, cutter, with a pretend change). But he’s also a 6’4” lefty with a bit of a gangly delivery that some say will settle out to be something special. At 17, the team has already assigned him to the Rookie club, where he’s 0-1 with 4 saves and a 6.00 ERA.