Scouting Report on Minnesota Twins RHP Eduardo Del Rosario

Scouting Report on Minnesota Twins pitching prospect Eduardo Del Rosario

Player Profile

The Minnesota Twins originally signed Eduardo Antonio (Hernandez) Del Rosario (born 5/19/95) in December of 2012 out of the Dominican Republic where was already 17 and a very lean pitcher.

Del Rosario made his pro debut with the Dominican Summer League in 2013, throwing 44 1/3 innings, with a 2.03 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, a 14.2% walk rate, and a 17% strikeout rate.

Del Rosario was used out of the bullpen in the Gulf Coast League in 2014, throwing 28 1/3 innings with a 3.49 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 7.3% walk rate, and 20.2% strikeout rate. He returned to the GCL to open 2015 as he was moved to the rotation, and with one late year start in Elizabethton, he put up an excellent line, throwing 51 1/3 innings with a 2.28 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, 4.6% walk rate, and 26.9% strikeout rate.

Del Rosario spent the season with Cedar Rapids last season, making 16 starts, throwing 83 1/3 innings with a 3.67 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, 9.2% walk rate, and 23.2% strikeout rate.

Del Rosario returned to Cedar Rapids to open this season and recently was promoted to Fort Myers, where he had a dominant first start. Overall on the year, he’s thrown 106 1/3 innings with a 4.06 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 9.3% walk rate, and 21.2% strikeout rate.

Scouting Report

Size/Delivery/Control

Size – Del Rosario is listed at 6′ tall and 145 pounds. That weight could be a few pounds light, but he is a very lean player, so it is very feasible that the numbers are spot on.

Delivery – Del Rosario starts his wind up with a typical step back, though at the peak of his delivery, he twists his left foot toward his right knee, torquing his left hip away from the batter a touch. This can lead to issues when Del Rosario comes down from that peak position in landing consistently.

Del Rosario does land shaded toward the first base side, opening his front hip, which would in theory cost him a shade of velocity from what he could possibly generate.

Del Rosario comes from a low 3/4 arm slot that is almost side arm, though he does keep the arm slot looking more normal 3/4 until it is the point of releasing the ball, so hitters do not get a long look at the ball like many low 3/4 delivery guys.

Control (50) – In spite of his occasional issues with his landing spot, Del Rosario does well with controlling the ball, though he is certainly more control over command right now, filling the zone with the ball, but often missing the exact target from the catcher.

Pitches

Fastball (55) – Del Rosario’s fastball seems to me like he could have more life by keeping more in line with the plate, but that may not work with his arm slot. He works typically 90-93, touching 95-96 at the top end. He gets excellent late arm-side run on his fastball, which is especially effective low in the zone against righties and up in the zone against lefties.

Change Up (55) – Del Rosario’s best pitch overall very well could be his change, which has an impressive arm speed and arm angle similarity to his fastball and gets similar arm-side break as well. He was more effective with this pitch against righties, but it seemed to work well up in the zone for him, generating both swing and miss and weak pop ups.

Slider (50) – Del Rosario’s best chance for a plus breaking pitch is his slider, which has excellent hard break, working in the low-80s in velocity. He often got two-planes of movement on the pitch. I did note that he was experimenting with more of a slider/cutter hybrid against lefty hitters in some games in Cedar Rapids this season, but the movement was not quite as sharp as his natural slider.

Curveball (50) – His curve comes in in the upper 70s that doesn’t have incredible depth, likely due to his low arm angle, but he does get good shape to the pitch. While his slider can generate plenty of swing and miss and weak contact, the curve seems to be a ground ball machine.

MLB Player Comp

So many of the guys who throw from the same arm slot as Del Rosario are taller guys, so it was tough to find a guy who had a similar arm slot from the same height, and especially a righty.

The one guy I came back to and found that the arm slot is not quite as low as Del Rosario’s, but is lower than the typical 3/4, was Zach Davies. Davies is a similar build as Del Rosario at 6′ tall and 155 pounds listed.

Davies was also a less-than-touted prospect when acquired, drafted in the 26th round by the Orioles in 2012. He was traded to the Brewers in 2015 as part of a midseason trade and became a fixture in the Brewers rotation last season.

The volatility of Davies’ results really puts a good amount of emphasis on just how important the control of Del Rosario will be. When he was going well last season, he sported a sub-4 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP as he was able to limit hard contact and keep runners off the base paths. This season, he opened with struggles with his control, and he ended up getting hit hard, leading to a 4.42 ERA and 1.42 WHIP. He’s thrown better as of late, but that volatility shows how important working through the consistency on his delivery will be for Del Rosario to develop.

Next: Twins 2018 = Rockies 2017?

I don’t foresee Del Rosario ever developing into a front of the rotation type of pitcher, but he has the type of easy, repeatable delivery that should allow him to throw 200 innings. He will likely be a guy who doesn’t get to the majors until he is in his mid-20s. The Twins could have Del Rosario drop a pitch and move to the bullpen, hoping to see his velocity tick up a bit in that role, but I’m sure they’ll work with him as a starter as long as feasible.