Prospect: Eduardo Paredes
Rank: 22
2016: 19
Position(s): Right Handed Pitcher
Level: MLB
Age: Entering Age 23 season in 2018.
Height: 6’1” – Weight: 170 lbs
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Floor: Middle reliever in MLB.
Ceiling: Elite, shutdown closer in MLB.
Likely Outcome: Very good middle reliever that can go 2 innings.
Summary: Relievers get no love when it comes to prospect reports. I mean how is it that a kid, 22 years old, already in the major leagues and likely already a better than average major league reliever be ranked in the 20’s on prospect lists? Simple. We just don’t value pitchers that only go 50 innings a year the way we would a starter that pitches 180 innings or a hitter that starts 150 games (and with good reason).
But ideological rankings aside, Paredes is about as sure of a sure thing as you”ll get with prospects. The very nature of a prospect is that they are popcorn in a pan, some pop, and some don’t (Thanks Jerry!).
But not Parades. He shot through the Angels system with relative ease, mostly because the Angels simply couldn’t find a level that would challenge this kid. The highest ERA he’s ever posted was a 3.35 and that was in AA. His career minor league ERA is 2.53. His ERA in Salt Lake last year was 2.92. That’s where routine pop flies go to be home runs. And this wasn’t accomplished by just wishing he’d throw more strikes and hoping his arsenal would be good enough to carry him.
Eduardo did it by throwing strikes.
He throws from a sidearm slot, and has a fastball that sits 94 and a sharp slider. That’s it. See if you can hit it. He’ll throw it over the plate and everything. That’s his recipe for success and generally speaking, when you can build one as simple as that, you’re golden. Parades doesn’t have to change a single thing.
Make no mistake, Eduardo Paredes is already a good major league reliever. Yeah, he was shaky in his first taste at age 22. Not terrible, but not as good as he truly is. But it won’t be long. As I said, just 22 years old. By the time he’s 25, he could be an all-star, or at least one of those middle relievers that gets snubbed every year.
What to expect next season: Paredes will likely get squeezed out of the bullpen to start 2018 simply because he’s young and he has options. But the Angels won’t be able to keep him down long. They’ve played it conservative with him his entire minor league career because of an old school stigma against sidearm relievers, but Eduardo has proven himself at every level, including AAA. He’ll be with the Angels in 2018 and by the end of the year, he’ll one of their best relievers and likely won’t see the minor leagues in an Angel uniform again.
Estimated Time of Arrival: He’s already here!
Grade as a prospect: C+
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