Today: SD Prospect Adis Portillo
Adis Portillo is a righthanded teenaged pitcher from Maricaibo, Venezuela. Despite being only sixteen years old, Portillo is already 6-foot-3 and can reach 93mph on his fastball. One of the most coveted of the Latin American free agent prospects for 2008, he was signed by the San Diego Padres for a $2M bonus.
Scouts have raved about Portillo's arm strength and easy motion, though his control is an area that will need a lot of work. His cut fastball already has late movement, and is complemented by a slurvy breaking ball that could be a plus pitch in time. His changeup isn't great, but the fact that he has one at all is remarkable in such a young pitcher.
"I saw him and we liked him,” said one international scouting director. “He’s got a good arm and he’s a big kid with a great body and a good feel for a breaking ball."
The Padres, of course, are a great organization for developing pitchers, which means Portillo's odds of breaking into major league ball are much higher than they might with, say, the Rockies or Phillies. Should he reach the Major Leagues with San Diego, he'll also benefit from a pitcher friendly ballpark.
"One of the most complete pitchers in Latin America with a fastball that has reached 93 (mph), Adis has great mechanics with a strong mound presence and command of three pitches," said Randy Smith, the Padres director of professional and international scouting.
But all of that is many years away, as the very raw Portillo will spend at least a couple of years in instructional ball learning to control his fastball, and hopefully learning to add a deceptive off-speed pitch. As a deep, deep sleeper for 2013, he's a great name to keep in the back of your mind.
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