Rockies sign Venezuelan starting pitcher, 16, to contract
By Tracy Ringolsby, Rocky Mountain News
Published November 7, 2008 at 4:35 p.m.
The Rockies are looking to continue their success in uncovering pitching talent in Latin America.
The team has signed right- handed pitcher Alving Mejias, 16, from Venezuela.
Despite his youth, Mejias has a solid 90-mph fastball, a feel for a changeup with sink, a solid curveball and deception in his mechanics.
"For 16 years old, he's got a good delivery, he's got three pitches and he knows to pitch," said Rolando Fernandez, the Rockies' director of international operations. "Usually, kids who are 16 years old, their pitchability is not that good. For his age, he's pretty advanced."
He is believed to have received a $250,000 signing bonus, matching the figure the Rockies gave third baseman Miguel De Leon of the Dominican Republic in May, according to Baseball America.
An increased emphasis in Latin America has begun to surface at the major league level with the emergence of starting pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez and reliever Manny Corpas. The top pitching prospect in the system is right-hander Jhoulys Chacin.
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November 8, 2008
7:49 a.m.
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ColoradoSportsFaninTexas writes:
It appears as if the investment the Rockies made in Latin America a few years back is starting to pay off....The Rox got the jump on the other teams in finding young Latin America talent, and it looks like they will keep that edge for a long long time to come....
GO ROCKIES!!
November 8, 2008
10:33 a.m.
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avsfan71085 writes:
16? 16 and gets $250,000? Wow...what is this world coming too
November 13, 2008
11:50 a.m.
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tomglo writes:
How can you say the Rockies got a jump on Latin American talent. The Dodgers have had a baseball academy there for years, long before the Rockies were even thought of.