FanPost

Scouting the Sally - Jeurys Familia, SP, NYM

Jeurys Familia (4 IP, 0 ER, 2 H, 2 BB, 3 K) -Quickly becoming a serious sleeper in the Mets organization, Jeurys Familia is off to a great start posting a 2-0 Record with a 0.63 ERA and .128 BAA in his first three 2009 starts. Hailing from the Dominican Republic, the 19-year old righty was impressive in his four innings of work throwing an 88-92  MPH fastball and rudimentary breaking pitch; Typical of young Dominican hurlers.

  • Looked his listed height of 6'3"; Legs looked well developed; Upper body has some room for growth
  • Throws across his body; May gain velocity if he learns how to incorporate his lower half more
  • Fastball sat at 88-92 throughout the first and second innings
  • Weak lineup made solid contact during innings 1-2
  • Jumped to a consistent 90-92 MPH in the 3rd inning
  • Fastball dropped to 88-90 MPH in the 4th
  • Tired in the 5th; Fastball dropped to 86-88 MPH
  • Free and easy arm action at 89 MPH; Took some effort to get into the 90+ MPH range
  • Threw first breaking pitch in the 4th inning
  • Curveballs thrown were in the 76-78 MPH range
  • Curveballs became sharper as Familia tired; Seemed to be overthrowing them at first
  • Baseball IQ? Did not know fielding responsibility in sac bunt situation

If Familia continues his hot start, he won't be an unknown for long. For now however, temper your enthusiasm for his hot start as his lack of a breaking pitch could hinder his progression as he moves up through the system. Fortunately for Familia, he has time on his side as I would expect him to spend the entire 2009 season in Savannah before moving up a level in 2010.

Maikel Cleto would have ranked 8th on Mets top 10 lists this past year and Familia is similar in many respects. Cleto, however, was pumping 97 MPH on the gun with Familia falling 5 MPH short of that. With that said, Familia could break the Mets top 20 with an outside shot at the top 15.

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