+128 - Mariners' hot bats and kid pitching with buncha potential vs a below average starting pitcher and those Oakland bats...
Elias defected from Cuba in 2010 ("spur of the moment" decision he agreed to join 25 others on a raft for a 30 hour cruise to Mexico.) He's played for the Pulaski Mariners, Arizona League Mariners, Clinton LumberKings, the High Desert Mavericks, and the Jackson Generals.
Elias went 3-0 with a 2.04 ERA this spring. He was a Southern League All-Star for Jackson last year (6-11, 3.18 ERA).
Chris Harris:
I would venture to say, outside of Taijuan Walker, he was our best pitcher, as far as starting pitchers this year...I love talking to scouts when they?re around and see what they think of players and I always ask them about his curveball and they always had the same comment about his curveball?one of the best left-handed curveballs that they had ever seen.
It?s interesting watching him pitch because, throughout the game, he changes his pitching motion?he?ll almost do a Hideo Nomo motion, he?ll lower his arm angle at times during the game. Several times through the lineup he?ll give hitters a different type of look. It keeps you definitely on your toes because you?re curious what he?s going to do on the mound in certain situations.
fangraphs report:
his calling card is a wipeout curveball that can buckle its fair share of knees. Take a look at the highlights from his last spring start:
<iframe src='http://m.mlb.com/shared/video/embed/embed.html?content_id=31706315&topic_id=41332114&width=400&height=224&property=mlb' width='400' height='224' frameborder='0'>Your browser does not support iframes.</iframe>
http://m.mlb.com/video/topic/41332114/v31706315
Take particular note of the curveballs thrown to punch out Carlos Gonzalez, and later Brandon Barnes. Cargo nearly spins himself into the ground, while Barnes flails wildly as the pitch hits rock bottom. As God as my witness, that pitch broke him in half! There?s plenty to like about that curve paired with a fastball that sits 91-94 mph and can reach a bit higher.
But now look at those two particular pitches again. Specifically, check out the low arm slot he uses to deliver the pitch against Cargo, with the nasty elbow whip. The curve he uses to retire Barnes has a considerably higher arm slot. His usage of multiple arm angles (up to five, according to manager Lloyd McClendon) gives his primarily two-pitch arsenal more deception ? the sweeping action of the curve thrown to Cargo compared to the tumbling action seen against Barnes, for example.
The obvious downside to this is that his delivery isn?t repeatable at present, which leads to major concerns over his command/control profile. Elias may be 25 years old, but that doesn?t mean he?s polished or mature as a pitcher ? he played in Mexico for awhile after defecting from Cuba, and didn?t play affiliated ball until 2011, when he split his age-22 season between Rookie and A-ball. Add to this the fact that he doesn?t really have a third major league-ready pitch, and it sure sounds like a case of a guy who could be in way over his head.
This spring, despite a sparkling 2.38 earned run average on the surface, Elias posted an ugly 13:10 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 22.2 innings. While it?s obviously a very small sample, it?s not altogether surprising either ? his career minor-league strikeout rate sits at 8.0 K/9, with a walk rate of 3.1 BB/9. That?s not bad, but it?s unimpressive considering he hasn?t thrown a pitch above the Double-A level. He?s one of those pitchers with strikeout stuff who can?t quite harness it enough to strike lots of guys out. This spring was a microcosm of how Elias could fare in the majors; it?s much easier to be ?effectively wild? in the low-minors than it is in the bigs.
Any expectations of high-level production can probably rest in peace, but while he may not break the walls down, there?s one reason I?m going to be watching him closely tonight. I hear voices in my head, and they?re telling me that Elias could be one of those guys whose raw stuff is good enough for him to get by with smoke and mirrors for a month or two, until major-league hitters figure out how to attack him. At present, there really isn?t much of a scouting report out there for Elias, and with his multiple arm angles, I could see him deceiving hitters for a while.
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a lot of pressure on him today, but that's nothing, according to Pedro Grifol (former manager for the High Desert Mavericks and himself the son of a Cuban defector):
"The one common denominator is if you ask (Cuban players) about pressure, this is not pressure for them," Grifol said. "Pressure for them is that anticipation to the day they defect from Cuba, knowing that if they got caught, there?s no telling what could happen.
"Once you go through that experience in life, knowing that you?re leaving and you?re risking your life out in the ocean or you?re risking getting caught and having to face whoever you have to face back home, once you go through that experience, this isn?t pressure."
Elias first tried out for baseball team in Monterrey, Mexico - but only made the B squad and was told he had no chance to play in the US big leagues. Then a Mariners scout caught him one day...Elias has applied for U.S. citizenship, has married and keeps his residence in Austin, Texas. (Shit, having to shuffle between Austin in winter and Seattle in summer is a dream situation!)
Elias defected from Cuba in 2010 ("spur of the moment" decision he agreed to join 25 others on a raft for a 30 hour cruise to Mexico.) He's played for the Pulaski Mariners, Arizona League Mariners, Clinton LumberKings, the High Desert Mavericks, and the Jackson Generals.
Elias went 3-0 with a 2.04 ERA this spring. He was a Southern League All-Star for Jackson last year (6-11, 3.18 ERA).
Chris Harris:
I would venture to say, outside of Taijuan Walker, he was our best pitcher, as far as starting pitchers this year...I love talking to scouts when they?re around and see what they think of players and I always ask them about his curveball and they always had the same comment about his curveball?one of the best left-handed curveballs that they had ever seen.
It?s interesting watching him pitch because, throughout the game, he changes his pitching motion?he?ll almost do a Hideo Nomo motion, he?ll lower his arm angle at times during the game. Several times through the lineup he?ll give hitters a different type of look. It keeps you definitely on your toes because you?re curious what he?s going to do on the mound in certain situations.
fangraphs report:
his calling card is a wipeout curveball that can buckle its fair share of knees. Take a look at the highlights from his last spring start:
<iframe src='http://m.mlb.com/shared/video/embed/embed.html?content_id=31706315&topic_id=41332114&width=400&height=224&property=mlb' width='400' height='224' frameborder='0'>Your browser does not support iframes.</iframe>
http://m.mlb.com/video/topic/41332114/v31706315
Take particular note of the curveballs thrown to punch out Carlos Gonzalez, and later Brandon Barnes. Cargo nearly spins himself into the ground, while Barnes flails wildly as the pitch hits rock bottom. As God as my witness, that pitch broke him in half! There?s plenty to like about that curve paired with a fastball that sits 91-94 mph and can reach a bit higher.
But now look at those two particular pitches again. Specifically, check out the low arm slot he uses to deliver the pitch against Cargo, with the nasty elbow whip. The curve he uses to retire Barnes has a considerably higher arm slot. His usage of multiple arm angles (up to five, according to manager Lloyd McClendon) gives his primarily two-pitch arsenal more deception ? the sweeping action of the curve thrown to Cargo compared to the tumbling action seen against Barnes, for example.
The obvious downside to this is that his delivery isn?t repeatable at present, which leads to major concerns over his command/control profile. Elias may be 25 years old, but that doesn?t mean he?s polished or mature as a pitcher ? he played in Mexico for awhile after defecting from Cuba, and didn?t play affiliated ball until 2011, when he split his age-22 season between Rookie and A-ball. Add to this the fact that he doesn?t really have a third major league-ready pitch, and it sure sounds like a case of a guy who could be in way over his head.
This spring, despite a sparkling 2.38 earned run average on the surface, Elias posted an ugly 13:10 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 22.2 innings. While it?s obviously a very small sample, it?s not altogether surprising either ? his career minor-league strikeout rate sits at 8.0 K/9, with a walk rate of 3.1 BB/9. That?s not bad, but it?s unimpressive considering he hasn?t thrown a pitch above the Double-A level. He?s one of those pitchers with strikeout stuff who can?t quite harness it enough to strike lots of guys out. This spring was a microcosm of how Elias could fare in the majors; it?s much easier to be ?effectively wild? in the low-minors than it is in the bigs.
Any expectations of high-level production can probably rest in peace, but while he may not break the walls down, there?s one reason I?m going to be watching him closely tonight. I hear voices in my head, and they?re telling me that Elias could be one of those guys whose raw stuff is good enough for him to get by with smoke and mirrors for a month or two, until major-league hitters figure out how to attack him. At present, there really isn?t much of a scouting report out there for Elias, and with his multiple arm angles, I could see him deceiving hitters for a while.
----------------------------
a lot of pressure on him today, but that's nothing, according to Pedro Grifol (former manager for the High Desert Mavericks and himself the son of a Cuban defector):
"The one common denominator is if you ask (Cuban players) about pressure, this is not pressure for them," Grifol said. "Pressure for them is that anticipation to the day they defect from Cuba, knowing that if they got caught, there?s no telling what could happen.
"Once you go through that experience in life, knowing that you?re leaving and you?re risking your life out in the ocean or you?re risking getting caught and having to face whoever you have to face back home, once you go through that experience, this isn?t pressure."
Elias first tried out for baseball team in Monterrey, Mexico - but only made the B squad and was told he had no chance to play in the US big leagues. Then a Mariners scout caught him one day...Elias has applied for U.S. citizenship, has married and keeps his residence in Austin, Texas. (Shit, having to shuffle between Austin in winter and Seattle in summer is a dream situation!)
