Top 50 Twins Prospects 2010: No. 10, Adrian Salcedo

2010 Top 50 Twins Prospects: No. 10, Adrian Salcedo

Position: Pitcher

Bats/Throws: Right/Right

Born: April 24, 1991 (Moca, Dominican Republic)

School: Not Available

Height:  6'4''

Weight: 175 lbs.

2009 Ranking: Not Ranked


Breakdown:
Adrian Salcedo signed with the Twins as a 16-year-old non-drafted free agent on December 13, 2007. He spent all of the 2008 season in the Dominican Summer League, but he didn't go unnoticed. He was the youngest pitcher on the team, but he was impressive nonetheless, with a 1.65 ERA and a 6.25 K/BB ratio.

He came to the states in 2009 where he began the season in Extended Spring Training before joining the Gulf Coast League Twins in June. With the Twins, Salcedo put up similar numbers to what he had in the DSL the year before. He was 3-2 with a 1.46 ERA and continued to display great command with his 0.05 BB/9 ratio.

Salcedo has a great repertoire of pitches, and nearly all of them are considered "plus" due to the degree of command he employs them with. He used his change-up frequently in 2009 and (along with his sinking-fastball) induced a good amount of ground balls. He has a low-to-mid 90's fastball that one person I talked to said, "might have been the best fastball, in terms of command, in the Twins system in 2009."

There have been some discrepancies as to whether he throws a curveball or slider, but I've heard more people describe it as a curveball.

One person I talked to came up with a fair thought: perhaps he has both in his arsenal and it's just not easy to distinguish between the two? It's possible, and if it were proven, I probably would have ranked him a few spots higher.

Salcedo's size projects very well to the big leagues, and it's always great to see that there's still room for growth. The 2010 campaign will be big for Salcedo. He has to prove that his 2009 season wasn't a fluke and that pitching in a pitcher-friendly environment like the Gulf Coast League didn't inflate his stats.

With his advanced repertoire and ability to command all of his pitches, Salcedo should be considered for a spot in the Beloit Snappers' rotation.

2009 Statistics:

          Level      W     L     ERA      IP     K    BB     WHIP     FIP

          R (GCL)    3     2    1.46    61.2    58     3     1.01    1.92

2010 Outlook:
It's tough predicting where Salcedo will go, but he'll likely begin the 2010 season in extended Spring Training before joining with the Elizabethton Twins when short-season leagues begin in mid-June. Don't be surprised though to see the Snappers call on him if they're in need of an arm.

Pitching Repertoire:

• Fastball (two- and four-seam, 89-93 mph)
• Curveball
  
• Change-up
  

Video: None

Estimated Time of Arrival in the MLB: 2014

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