I was at yesterday’s GCL Orioles game, where the Orioles defeated the GCL Rays 6-1. Here are some notes from the game…
Yesterday was my third time seeing Adrian Marin live. And, once again, he was superb. He was particularly impressive when he drilled a fastball on the outside corner of the plate into right field for a triple. Throughout my time in the GCL Marin showed the ability to go with the pitch, wait for a good pitch, and use all fields.
Medina’s slider was sharp throughout the entire game.
Hector Veloz continued to hit the ball hard. He hit a ball down the line, just fair, but was tagged out at second base trying to stretch his hit into a double. He doesn’t have the best pitch recognition and swings and misses a lot, but when he makes contact, he really tears the cover off the ball.
Last year, Eduardo Rodriguez and Miguel Chalas made a name for themselves in the GCL. This year, a young pitcher from Venezuela named Jhondaniel Medina looks like he may follow in their paths.
Medina, 19, sat 89-91 mph with his fastball. He looks pretty maxed out physically, so there may not be much projection left. This may be an issue going forward because he needs a bit more velocity.
Medina’s slider was sharp throughout the entire game and had some nice bite to it. His changeup wasn’t anything special in the early innings, but later on the game he threw some really good ones down in the zone and got a few strikeouts with it.
I spoke to a scout who said Medina could be a swing man/MR/long man down the road depending where he ends up with his velocity.
Dioni Dominguez sat 89-92 mph with his fastball, touched 93, and commanded his changeup well.
