2041.03 - The Long Beach Independent - Rotation Help in AAA?

[Lane]

PAIR OF PITCHING PROSPECTS ON PRECIPICE
Could a couple of kids save the day?

July 7, 2041
Long Beach, CA

Gary Tinstaap, Lead Prospect Writer

The Surfers took a chance on a couple of teenage pitchers in the early rounds of the 2038 draft. A pair of right handed relievers, Ernesto Delgado, and Mathieu Valette were the 55th and 132nd picks of the draft, respectively.

Delgado in particular was considered a reach in the middle of the second round of the loaded draft. With sluggers and well rated starting pitchers going before and after him, this right handed reliever was a curious choice.

He spent 2038 as a reliever, but told his coaches that he never felt quite right coming out of the pen. He spent his high school years as a starter, and told the staff that that's where he felt most comfortable. When he approached them after the 2039 regular season, they told him that they'd consider it, and he should let them know what pitch he might want to add.

During the 2039 winter league season, he worked with fellow 2038 draftee Valette. Through translators, and Valette's improving english language skills, the two worked together to help each other learn new pitches. Valette taught Delgado his forkball, while Valette tried out Delgado's cutter.

Delgado caught on to the forkball with surprising ease. As expected, he lost some velocity upon his initial move to the rotation, but he has since gained a couple ticks back. He's currently sitting 92-94, and with a league average forkball, scouts say he has 7/8/8 potentials and could be a 65 rated SP very soon.

You can see him pitch up the 710 in Commerce every 5th day or so, and he'll be in Long Beach's rotation sometime in 2042. Though, the timeline could be accelerated based on his development and the Surfers' needs.

Valette took a little bit longer for the third pitch to catch on, and had this to say through his translator: "Delgado is a great teacher. I'm very happy to be teammates with him, and grateful that he taught me his cutter. I admit, it did take me a while to get the hang of it, it wasn't until I went back to Belgium after the 2040 season that it really clicked."

Though his 2041 stats don't show it, other scouts (and I agree) that it's the real deal. After some initial loss of velocity from when he first moved to the rotation, he's gained a few clicks back. And the cutter is consistently rated as league average with flashes of plus. They also see room for improvement in his fastball and forkball, with overall future stuff potential at 7. At his peak, he should be 7/7/6 with an overall rating of 75.

Expect to see him in the long Long Beach rotation next season, with an outside shot of a call up later this year.

These two, along with Danya Tchekanov, could form the core of a rotation that would enable Long Beach to stay competitive in the coming years.

[RonCo]

Nice couple of guys you got there.

[Lane]

Thanks! Slightly concerned about Delgado rounding out the changeup, but other than that I'm very pleased so far with this little experiment I've been running.