Julio Rodriguez

Rodriguez opened the year as an unheralded member of the Phillies' "baby aces" at High-A Clearwater but finished the year only overshadowed by the performance of fellow pitching prospect Trevor May. Rodriguez works in the low-90s and relies on deception and movement on his pitches to get outs. He has posted very good strikeout rates during his short minor league career but still has some control issues to iron out. At 21 years old, there is still some time for him to add velocity as he fills out. If that happens, we could be looking at a very good prospect. If the velocity doesn't increase, questions will remain about how effective Rodriguez can be if he makes it to the majors.