Welcome to the fifth installment of the UpAlongFirst.com official prospect list. Here is number four.
4. Jeurys Familia- P
HEIGHT: 6’3”
WEIGHT: 185
THROWS: R BATS: R
BORN: 10/10/1989
COLLEGE: none
ACQUIRED: Signed as IFA in July of 2007
Familia has not quite been the picture of consistency when it comes to mechanics in his career. However, much like Zack Wheeler, it’s all about the raw talent that Familia has. He is another workhorse who has the ability to go deep into games. He has a very strong arm that could help him work through a full 200-inning season. Familia can really whip it, throwing in the 92-96 MPH with the ability to crank it up to 97. Plus, with his long arms, he gets major extension, which creates deadly movement on his fastball. He also has a very good slider which he started using just a few years ago. The weakest link in his repertoire is his changeup. Much like many other young starters, this pitch will determine his future. Not so much his success, but his role. If Familia can develop this pitch and use it consistently, then there is no doubt that he will be a starter. If he can’t, then he will eventually move to the bullpen and possibly become a closer, which he could dominate at. Last season, Familia split time between PSL and Binghamton. He went 5-5 with a 2.90 over 124 innings, striking out 9.6 batters per nine. Here is a look at the rest of Familia’s stats:
| Year | Tm | Lg | Lev | W | L | G | GS | IP | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Mets | GULF | Rk | 2 | 2 | 2.79 | 11 | 11 | 51.2 | 1.142 | 8.0 | 0.3 | 2.3 | 6.6 |
| 2009 | Savannah | SALL | A | 10 | 6 | 2.69 | 24 | 23 | 134.0 | 1.157 | 7.3 | 0.2 | 3.1 | 7.3 |
| 2010 | St. Lucie | FLOR | A+ | 6 | 9 | 5.58 | 24 | 24 | 121.0 | 1.579 | 8.7 | 0.5 | 5.5 | 10.2 |
| 2011 | 2 Teams | 2 Lgs | AA-A+ | 5 | 5 | 2.90 | 23 | 23 | 124.0 | 1.202 | 7.7 | 0.8 | 3.1 | 9.6 |
| 2011 | St. Lucie | FLOR | A+ | 1 | 1 | 1.49 | 6 | 6 | 36.1 | 0.798 | 5.2 | 0.2 | 2.0 | 8.9 |
| 2011 | Binghamton | EL | AA | 4 | 4 | 3.49 | 17 | 17 | 87.2 | 1.369 | 8.7 | 1.0 | 3.6 | 9.9 |
| 4 Seasons | 23 | 22 | 3.57 | 82 | 81 | 430.2 | 1.286 | 7.9 | 0.5 | 3.7 | 8.7 | |||
| A+ (2 seasons) | A+ | 7 | 10 | 4.63 | 30 | 30 | 157.1 | 1.398 | 7.9 | 0.5 | 4.7 | 9.9 | ||
| A (1 season) | A | 10 | 6 | 2.69 | 24 | 23 | 134.0 | 1.157 | 7.3 | 0.2 | 3.1 | 7.3 | ||
| AA (1 season) | AA | 4 | 4 | 3.49 | 17 | 17 | 87.2 | 1.369 | 8.7 | 1.0 | 3.6 | 9.9 | ||
| Rk (1 season) | Rk | 2 | 2 | 2.79 | 11 | 11 | 51.2 | 1.142 | 8.0 | 0.3 | 2.3 | 6.6 | ||
Putting the changeup aside, the major concern with Familia is his mechanics. He often flies open in his motion, which opens up his shoulder, a nightmare for pitchers. He isn’t using his legs consistently enough. He hasn’t gotten hurt yet. I mentioned his arm strength earlier, which has kept him off the DL in his career. However, if he can’t completely get rid of that inconsistency, he could spend time on the DL often in his career. He has been working on it and improving, I have o give him that. If you watch video of him very early and compare it to today, he is much better. Hopefully, by the time he is a full-time major leaguer, that problem will be fixed. I feel I’ve been a little harsh on Familia. His stuff is ridiculous and deserves major recognition. The mechanics and injury concerns will only be a major problem if he becomes a starter. Out of the bullpen, he could become a flame-throwing, intimidating, dominant reliever. Of the major pitching prospects, I’d say Familia would be best suited in the bullpen.
The list so far (click to view posts):
5. Jenrry Mejia
7. Reese Havens
9. Cesar Puello
10.Darin Gorski
12.Cory Vaughn
Come back Monday as we reveal number three!
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