Luis Ysla

[FanSinceBoggs]

Luis Ysla

Left handed relief pitcher
Acquired from the Giants for De Aza
DOB: April 27, 1992, currently 24 years old
6'1, 185 lbs.

In the off-season, the Red Sox must decide if they want to protect Ysla by placing him on the 40 man roster. I think they will protect him--he is a left handed relief pitcher with really good stuff (93-96 MPH fastball, can hit 98, to go along with a slider and changeup) and the potential to develop into a late inning reliever (or, at the very least, a left-handed specialist). He needs to work on his command/control. While he is averaging more than a strikeout per inning in Portland, he is walking too many batters (4.23 per nine).

Mayo's scouting report:

Scouting grades: Fastball: 65 | Slider: 50 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 40 | Overall: 45
Though Ysla first became eligible to sign out of Venezuela in 2008, he didn't hook up with a club until the Giants gave hm $7,500 at the relatively advanced age of 20 four years later. He led the Class A South Atlantic League with a 2.45 ERA in his first taste of full-season ball in 2014, then saw that figure swell to 5.85 in Class A Advanced last year. He had much more success as a reliever (4.08 ERA, .766 opponent OPS) than a starter (8.81 ERA, 1.035 opponent OPS), and the Red Sox will keep him in the bullpen after acquiring him in an August trade for Alejandro De Aza.

Because he slings the ball with a lot of effort from a low slot, Ysla didn't figure to last in the rotation. His delivery doesn't look pretty, but his fastball can sit at 93-96 mph and hit 98 with life when he works in short stints. His low-80s slider shows flashes of becoming at least a solid pitch, while managers rated his changeup as SAL's best in 2014 before it regressed last year.

Ysla's mechanics make it tough for hitters (especially lefties) to pick up his pitches, and they also make it difficult for him to repeat and to stay on top of his pitches, costing him command and consistency. His walk rate spiked to a career-high 4.6 per nine innings in 2015 and didn't improve significantly when he came out of the bullpen. If he can add some polish, he could be a late-inning weapon.
http://m.mlb.com/prospects/2016?list=bos

 

[Mugsy's Jock]

In the recent SoxProspects podcast, Ysla was speculated as an "under-the-radar" candidate to get called up in September as a LOOGY or even one-inning option out of the bullpen.