Dimaster Delgado Scouting Report
Will the real Dimaster Delgado please stand up? Are you the pitcher with a pre All-Star ERA of 1.33 or the post All-Star 6.08? The answer lies somewhere in the middle. The Panamanian lefty was little more than average on the evening I saw him throw, although it was only his second appearance of the season. To be fair, he seemed to still be working himself into pitching shape so the inconsistency in his repertoire was somewhat expected. Through eight starts, his peripherals are solid and his FIP is a stellar 2.59. If I was giving Delgado a letter grade, it would likely be an incomplete as I would need to see him a couple of more times to truly gauge him as a prospect.
Physique and Athleticism: Delgado looked smaller than his listed height of 6'2". Maybe it was the fact a player of his listed height and weight (170-180 lbs.) should have a leaner build. If he his a true 6'2", I would guess his weight was closer to 200 lbs. than his listed 180. However, his physique was not muscular at all and muscle does weigh more. Delgado has a good pitchers frame with a large base and some size through the shoulders. However, he had little visible muscle tone, a little extra around the waist, and would likely benefit greatly from a strength program which would allow him to fill out the right way. This definitely leaves him with some future projection. As an athlete, he was average. He had a bit of trouble repeating his delivery, but did use his entire body which is more than I can say about most Sally League pitchers. His arm action was free and easy in the 87 MPH range, but worked a bit to get it higher.
Mound Presence: Showing little emotion on the mound, Delgado was workmanlike in his approach. He did nothing to really stand out, but did show occasional lapses in both concentration and confidence.
Fastball: While Delgado touched 90 MPH on the radar gun, he worked in the 85-88 range most of the evening. On this occasion he didn't miss many bats with the offering and was inconsistent with his location. With an inefficient fastball, setting up his other offerings was difficult and it led to far too many deep counts and baserunners. Unfortunately, Delgado did not last long enough for me to move behind home plate and see his fastball movement as I start games down the first base line, move to third base, and wind up behind home plate mid game.
Curveball: At 71-73 MPH, the pitch was a big, slow breaking ball with plenty of drop. He did an excellent job keeping the pitch low in the strike zone and Sand Gnats hitters had difficulty with the offering. However, with little velocity and a big break comes little bite, and the pitch simply does not look like it will be an out pitch which will force hitters to swing and miss often enough.<
Changeup: While he didn't throw the pitch very often, the 78 MPH offering was a nice change of pace from his fastball. He did leave the pitch up a couple of times and it looked more like a pitch in development than something he can count on in key situations.
With an FIP so low, Delgado is doing a number of things right at this level and he deserves some credit for it. However, I'd rank him behind Manuel Banuelos (Yankees), Robert Carson (Mets), and teammate Brett DeVall in terms of lefties I've had the opportunity to see this season. With two average offerings and a developing change up, Delgado left me with a very "rough around the edges" feeling. While he definitely has projection, he's going to need both a better diet/strength and conditioning plan and a more consistent delivery to achieve his potential.
Physique and Athleticism: Delgado looked smaller than his listed height of 6'2". Maybe it was the fact a player of his listed height and weight (170-180 lbs.) should have a leaner build. If he his a true 6'2", I would guess his weight was closer to 200 lbs. than his listed 180. However, his physique was not muscular at all and muscle does weigh more. Delgado has a good pitchers frame with a large base and some size through the shoulders. However, he had little visible muscle tone, a little extra around the waist, and would likely benefit greatly from a strength program which would allow him to fill out the right way. This definitely leaves him with some future projection. As an athlete, he was average. He had a bit of trouble repeating his delivery, but did use his entire body which is more than I can say about most Sally League pitchers. His arm action was free and easy in the 87 MPH range, but worked a bit to get it higher.
Mound Presence: Showing little emotion on the mound, Delgado was workmanlike in his approach. He did nothing to really stand out, but did show occasional lapses in both concentration and confidence.
Fastball: While Delgado touched 90 MPH on the radar gun, he worked in the 85-88 range most of the evening. On this occasion he didn't miss many bats with the offering and was inconsistent with his location. With an inefficient fastball, setting up his other offerings was difficult and it led to far too many deep counts and baserunners. Unfortunately, Delgado did not last long enough for me to move behind home plate and see his fastball movement as I start games down the first base line, move to third base, and wind up behind home plate mid game.
Curveball: At 71-73 MPH, the pitch was a big, slow breaking ball with plenty of drop. He did an excellent job keeping the pitch low in the strike zone and Sand Gnats hitters had difficulty with the offering. However, with little velocity and a big break comes little bite, and the pitch simply does not look like it will be an out pitch which will force hitters to swing and miss often enough.<
Changeup: While he didn't throw the pitch very often, the 78 MPH offering was a nice change of pace from his fastball. He did leave the pitch up a couple of times and it looked more like a pitch in development than something he can count on in key situations.
With an FIP so low, Delgado is doing a number of things right at this level and he deserves some credit for it. However, I'd rank him behind Manuel Banuelos (Yankees), Robert Carson (Mets), and teammate Brett DeVall in terms of lefties I've had the opportunity to see this season. With two average offerings and a developing change up, Delgado left me with a very "rough around the edges" feeling. While he definitely has projection, he's going to need both a better diet/strength and conditioning plan and a more consistent delivery to achieve his potential.
