Efrain Nieves - The Prospect?

[twobrewers]

Can someone explain Efrain Nieves and his "prospect" status to me?

 

Other than being young - what is so special about him? I often see him mentioned as one of the young pitching prospects with Braddock, Peralta and Scarpetta - but the results appear in an entirely different class. And at 6'0" and 169 pounds, I don't see much room for growth.

 

Is his "stuff" that good or was he just over-hyped?

[TheCrew07]

He has good movement on his fastball but that's about it, he doesn't throw very hard, hitting 87 twice when I watched him.

[twobrewers]

I would assume the quiet means no one else is a big fan either...

 

What/Who is keeping him respectable on the Power 50?

 

He seems like he belongs around the 40 range.

[Mass Haas]

I'll carry the mantle for now. Nieves is at # 22 now, # 20 to open the season. It's not in the 40's, but it's not quite rarified air either.

 

We've described Nieves' as a work in progress, or actually, "uneven", here in the past. But when he's on, he's been fantastic. Heading into this season, his K-to-BB ratio was 115-to-36 along with fewer hits than innings, and he was 18 years old in 2008 when he posted a 66-to-10 ratio in the Pioneer League. He was a 7th round pick, so there was enough seen as a 17-year-old to warrant a selection that high. Earlier reports had him in the 88-to-90 MPH range. It won't show up on stat sheets, but reports from last year indicated he had outstanding intangibles and leadership skills.

 

Oh yeah, he is left-handed, y'know http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif

 

Look at how he wrapped up the 2008 season, which included two Pitcher of the Week awards --

 

Efrain Nieves, Helena

2-0, 1.93 ERA, 2 G, 2 GS, 14.0 IP, 10 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 16 SO

An easy choice, certainly after tossing the league's best start of the week Aug. 25, with eight shutout innings against Great Falls. Nieves faced just one batter over the minimum, striking out a career-high nine batters. His next start, his last of the season, also came against Great Falls, and Nieves continued to make the Voyagers swing and miss, with seven whiffs in six innings. The Puerto Rican left-hander finishes his summer with a 4.61 ERA, but there were great positive steps, especially with his command (just eight walks over 70 1/3 innings). He finished the season by scattering 11 hits in 17 innings over his last three starts, striking out 22 batters in the process.

 

***

 

So I hope I've at least backed up our thinking. Let's see where he goes from here. But yes, it's been a disappointingly inconsistent 2009 for Efrain.

[brewjihad]

7.43: 2.15 is about what I would expect out of him. His FIP is at 3.73, he's doing well with the things he can control. When I saw him pitch I was impressed with his offspeed stuff-- good curve and seemingly a pretty good change. He was throwing 88-89 then too.

[trwi7]

And at 6'0" and 169 pounds, I don't see much room for growth.

Really? He's only 19. Even if he grows to say 6'1'' 180, he could potentially add another couple mph to his fastball. I see plenty of room for growth in his frame.

[SoCalBrewfan]

I haven't seen him in person, but what I have read makes me think he's sort of the mirror image of some young pitchers...good movement, great changeup and breaking stuff, but not the pure velocity that some guys have. But...as a lefty, he can probably get with with less velocity if need be...and if he adds some to the fastball, as many pitchers that age do, he could have a very good repertoire. As far as results go, he pitched well at a tender age in Helena, given that it's a pretty hostile environment for pitchers, and a league populated with a number of college draft choices. That said, he's had a rough first half...I wouldn't be stunned to see him moved back to Helena as their season starts, especially with an influx of draft choices including some high round college pitchers.

[packfan79]

To be fair the gun at Time Warner field isn't exactly the most accurate from what I have seen in the past.

[twobrewers]

Thanks for the input Maas.

 

I was legitimately interested in Nieves. I've heard him referenced as a pitching prospect too often to not know more detail.

 

I appreciate your insight.

[TheCrew07]

To be fair the gun at Time Warner field isn't exactly the most accurate from what I have seen in the past.

When I talked about his velocity, I was getting it off of the Stalker Gun from the kids sitting right in front of me, not the stadium gun.