|
2008 Carrasco is generally considered the top arm in the Phillies' system, but despite reaching Double-A as a 20-year-old, he's not an elite-level prospect. Rather, he's something less than the sum of his parts. He boasts two above-average pitches (fastball, curve), one outstanding one (changeup), and good command, but his strikeout rates don't foretell of a future beyond that of a solid, mid-rotation innings-eater. 2007 There is a tendency for us here at BP to emphasize the physical and tangible over the mental. Carrasco started 2005 in the Sally League and got his head handed to him in his first couple of starts. The result was that he stopped believing in his stuff, tried to throw everything harder and harder, and reaped increasingly poor results. Last year he got off to a good start, pitched within his ability, and succeeded. The only tangible difference in 2006 was the addition of an improved curve to his low-90s fastball and excellent changeup. Scouts love his frame, and expect the skinny Venezuelan to fill out and get stronger.
|