Phillies Minor Leaguers: Alexis De La Cruz

The PHLY Phillies podcast continued its “Down on the Farm” series today with a discussion about RHP Alexis De La Cruz. De La Cruz is a 19-year-old, 6’6″ 205 lb. prospect from the Dominican Republic.

Talking to the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Alex Coffey a month ago, Phillies director of player development Preston Mattingly said De La Cruz has a build similar to Taijuan Walker: “He’s enormous for a 19-year-old kid.” Coffey listed De La Cruz as one of “seven players to watch” from the Phillies’ Dominican academy, and Mattingly said the young right-hander’s “strike-throwing ability, with the velocity he has now, and the ability to spin a ball is very unique for a kid that age and that size.”

De La Cruz signed with the organization just last year and played one season in the Dominican Summer League. The results don’t exactly jump off the page, but they are promising for such a young player: 10 G, 9 GS, 31.1 IP, 4.31 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, 4.9 BB/9, 12.4 K/9.

Prospect rankings are a little all over the place on De La Cruz. He isn’t listed among the top 30 Phillies prospects on MLB.com, Fangraphs has him as the Phils’ 16th-best prospect, and Matt Winkelman from Phillies Minor Thoughts lists him at number 48. Winkelman says De La Cruz throws a fastball that sits 90-94 mph, a breaking ball that sits 77-81 mph with movement somewhere between a curve and a slider, and a mid-80s changeup. Adds Winkelman, “While there is plenty to dream on in the frame and the base of his arsenal, it really is mostly a dream right now.”

Overall, one gets the impression that De La Cruz has a ton of potential, but that scouts and analysts don’t quite know what to make of him yet. Let’s hope the Phillies’ player development personnel can make the most out of his massive frame.