Potomac Nationals RHP Reynaldo Lopez
Date Scouted: 5/17/15
7-Word Scouting Report: Raw Righty, Plus-Plus Fastball, Potential Above-Average Secondaries
On what must have been the most humid day in recent years, Sunday afternoon I drove up I-270 to Frederick to watch the Keys host the Potomac Nationals. In particular I was eager to watch Washington Nationals top prospect Reynaldo Lopez in his third start of the 2015 season for Potomac. And Lopez was worth the drive, as he threw six innings, allowing one run on five hits and two walks against four strikeouts; unfortunately this effort went for naught as the Keys rallied late in the game to win 3-2.
Immediately one notices the physicality of Lopez, who appears bigger than his listed 6-0 185lbs., with muscular, thick legs and a well-developed upper body. Lopez has elite arm speed and an athletic, projectable body with room to add some additional muscle as he matures. He releases the baseball from a high three-quarters release point and while he does not have an arm stab in the back, he does have a long arm motion. His delivery has some excess activity throughout and he throws off a stiff front leg, but his athleticism allows him to repeat his delivery fairly consistently for a raw 21-year-old in High-A. Aside from gaining game experience, Lopez needs to work on his refining his fastball command and smoothing out the extraneous movement in his delivery the summer in Potomac.
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On Sunday Lopez’s fastball consistently sat at 96-97mph, touching 98mph three times, with late life and heavy punishing action. It almost sounds like he is angry with his catcher when the ball strikes the mitt, as it makes such a violent sound upon impact. His command was loose in this appearance, especially down in the strike zone, although one could also criticize the umpire’s small strike zone.
In addition Lopez showed an above-average to plus, but inconsistent, 77-79mph curveball with harsh 10-4 action on the offering. He struggled to throw his curveball for a strike, burying it low in the strike zone. Finally, he threw an 81-85mph changeup with solid arm action and some arm-side fading action – the changeup is inconsistent but is a present average pitch and could play to above-average in the future due to his upper-90s velocity. His curveball and changeup currently lag behind his monster fastball, but both secondary offerings have the potential to be above-average to plus with refinement.
Overall I was extremely impressed by Reynaldo Lopez, as he has the most effortless 96mph fastball one will ever see, along with two potentially above-average off-speed pitches in his curveball and changeup. Certainly Lopez needs development time in the minors to build up his arm strength, improve his ability to field his position and hold base runners, and refining his delivery. Also, his past shoulder injury warrants mention, as this combined with his average build could in a worst case scenario force him to a career as a reliever.
That said Lopez has a solid floor as a high-leverage 8th or 9th inning reliever and if he can overcome concerns about his size, his shoulder, and polish his motion, he has a ceiling as a legitimate #2 starter. While he has flaws, Lopez possesses a special arm and could arrive in the major leagues sometime in 2016.
https://youtu.be/OoE8SE1gRJc