- Born: May 3, 1999
- B/T: Right/Right
- 6’1″, 175-lbs
- Drafted by the New York Yankees in 2016 out of the Dominican Republic.
The Numbers


It’s not often you see a K%-BB% of 1%, but when you do you make the sign of the cross and walk swiftly past that cemetery.


OK, now we are beginning to get a bit of hope. He was awful in 2017, and he was worse in 2018, and he started out 2019 in the same hole. Then in June he took off, and boy did he take off! He just never stopped improving through the rest of the year.
What happened?
Remember I said we needed to look under the numbers? Here’s what I mean. First, let’s break out 2019 between A-level and High-A:

Fine, let’s go deeper:

Medina started to harness his great talent in the 2nd-half of 2019, and it gives us hope.

Looking in the BaseballHQ.com Minor League Baseball Analyst book, we see that Medina has three pitches in his arsenal:

Let’s begin with that fastball. (Taking off my hat in respect.) That near-triple-digit heat coming from a high-3/4 delivery with good life on the ball should be illegal in the low minors. Those poor batters have no chance. Only Medina can hurt himself by walking batters. When you see a +++++ pitch, give a low whistle and nod solemnly.
His curve is a hard curve, but it can be hard and still be separated from his high fastball. It’s second plus pitch in his arsenal, and a pitch that sometimes looks like a slider with two-plane movement.
His changeup is average, but a useful third pitch.
This is the arsenal of a #2 starter in the majors if he can get his walks under control. That’s a big IF, but last year was promising.
The Scouts
- Rotowire: #96 in their Top 400, the 29th-best pitcher prospect.
- BaseballHQ: Not in their Top 100.
- Fangraphs: Not in their Top 120.
- Fantasy Six Pack: #629 on their dynasty list.
- Prospects365: #105 on Ray Butler’s Top 200.
- Imaginary Brick Wall: #279 of the Top 487.
Warnings
Can he strike out guys at AA at the same rate? Only time will tell, but we might see it later in 2020. That will be a good test.
Conclusion
When you see talent like this, you get interested. The numbers have been bad so far because of the walks, but as I showed above, the deeper numbers started getting good in the 2H of 2019. Will it continue?
In spring training 2020 he faced 19 batters, walking five of them and walking just two, so that’s another encouraging sign.
Look, it’s quite simple for Luis Medina: Control the pitches. Once he does that, look out!