Since this is the mid-season write-up, it's just a quick overview of the player. When we get to the preseason re ranking in the offseason, they'll be a lot more involved.
All stats are current as of 8/4/2019.
All write-ups were published during all-star week.
Prospect #26: RHP Alvaro Seijas
Palm Beach Cardinals
Signed as an International Free Agent in July of 2015
Age 20
After a disappointing 2018 season, Seijas was sent back to Peoria to correct the ship. He came into the season stronger and more focused, and it's really showing so far in 2019.
I planned on keeping a very close eye on Seijas all year, but I abandoned that early on because I don't really enjoy watching Peoria's live feed from behind the plate when keeping an eye on pitchers. Still, I've watched plenty of Seijas, and I can tell you definitively that fastball command, and consistency throwing his breaking pitch, are the two things that have allowed him to regain his prospects standing. Seijas' struggles in 2018 were also a product of the fact that he was 19 year's old while playing in the tough Midwest League. He has some pretty good raw stuff, but he hadn't demonstrated the ability to command. That ate him alive last season. This season, he's doing more in the way of what every little league coach in the world calls "pitching instead of throwing".
It also seems like Seijas has his mechanics and emotions under control. Often times last season, when he didn't have command, and hitters weren't chasing early, you'd see a visibly frustrated Seijas stomp around the mound a little bit. It was like he was defeated before he was "beat", if that makes sense. This season, for the most part, Seijas has demonstrated a great amount of poise on the mound. The poise is aided by the fact that he's doing a substantially better job of working ahead of hitters than he did last season. It's funny how baseball never really changes. Just like it was 100 years ago, pitcher's have more success when working ahead as compared to when they are working behind.
I like the gif below a lot. It'll show you just how good Seijas' breaking pitch can be. It'll show you how he can command it and now he over-throws it. It'll also show you how good it is against right-handed swingers. It'll also show you how Seijas has a small tendency to want to throw the fastball as hard as he can when working with two strikes. It'll also show you how he struggles to command it in those situations. It should also show you that Seijas is working with a couple of different breaking pitches these days. Enjoy:
There are some that are worried about Seijas' mechanics. That'll be something worth keeping an eye on moving forward. It can be violent at times. It's definitely high-effort, and that usually means that the bullpen is in his long-term future, if healthy. However, that's another aspect that has matured in his season and a half in the Midwest League. The other thing worth keeping an eye on, is his increased use and command of the change. That pitching is going to need to get better. Seijas was just promoted to Palm Beach, and he's going to need that pitch, even in the pitching friendly confines of the Florida State League.
In a season that has seen many prospects take a step back, Seijas is one of the few that has taken a step forward in an effort to regain his prospect standing. Seijas is going to be a valuable arm that's worth keeping an extra eye on moving forward.
Thanks to Fangraph for the stats!
Thanks For Reading!!