Baseball Prospectus | | Eyewitness Scouting Report


	Luis Heredia Born: 08/10/1994 (Age: 19)
	Bats: Right	Throws: Right
	Height: 6' 5"	Weight: 251

Listed at 6-foot-6, 270 pounds; closer to 240 pounds; thick, soft build but has gotten into better shape; wide hips and shoulders; will need to monitor weight at all points of his career; big upper body lean toward third base with lots of head movement throughout his stride; achieves good separation between his upper and lower half; creates momentum with his lower half; stiff landing out front; struggled to repeat delivery/landing point; long arm action with a deep plunge and a bit of wrist wrap in the back; arm is quick but will struggle to come through on time; high three-quarters arm slot; 1.3-1.4 to the plate.

Evaluator	Ethan Purser
Report Date	07/28/2014
Affiliate	West Virginia Power (Low A, Pirates)
Dates Seen	7/27/2014
OFP	45
MLB ETA	2017
Video	No

Pitch Type	Future Grade	Sitting Velocity	Peak Velocity	Report
Fastball	55	91-93	94	Velocity: above-average; reached back for 94 a handful of times in the outing; held velocity throughout outing. Command: fringe-average; average control; could throw the pitch over the plate but lacked the ability to get quality strikes throughout the outing; flashed the ability to work down and to both sides of the plate with the pitch; left the offering up and hittable at other times. Movement: fringe average; true fastball with little life; straight; good downhill plane from higher slot. Comments: While Heredia's control of this pitch is at least average, the command lags behind due to a propensity to work up in the zone. The movement of the pitch is fringy despite some downhill plane, and while he can reach back for a 94 when he wants it, the lack of movement limits the bat-missing potential.
Curveball	45	77-79		Command: poor; left the pitch up out of the strike zone; couldn't put it over early in counts to get ahead; below average future command. Movement: below average; slurvy with an early hump; break isn't sharp; gets to the side of the ball and snap on pitch is inconsistent; casted pitch frequently; 11/5 break at its best. Comments: This was Heredia's secondary of choice on the afternoon, and while the movement will flash average on occasion, the feel for the pitch is poor and will ultimately limit the efficacy of the offering as he climbs the ladder.
Changeup	45	86-88		Command: poor; left it up and to the arm side; limited feel for the pitch; below-average future command. Movement: below average; firm in the upper-80s; struggled to get on top of the pitch and cut it to the glove side; turned over one with average life to the arm side with decent fade for a whiff. Comments: As is the case with the curveball, Heredia displayed limited feel with the changeup. The pitch is often too firm with inconsistent hand positioning at release. There is limited room for projection with the offering.

A former high-profile prospect, Heredia is taking a second tour through the South Atlantic League and is struggling with command and an inability to miss bats. This look was no different, as the Pirates prospect was very hittable in the zone and showed no secondary offering that could consistently miss bats as he climbs the ladder. This does not bode well for his future development, as the 19-year-old looked more like an inconsistent #5 starter/long man out of the bullpen than a future mid-rotation workhorse.