The San Diego Padres announced Tuesday that they will be bringing up star right-handed pitching prospect Luis Patiño to work out of the bullpen. Let’s dive into the report of one of the most exciting arms in the minors.
Rankings
Patiño was the second-ranked Padres prospect in our offseason top-30 list and he was #21 overall in our offseason top-100 list. Additionally, he was #21 on our Fantasy Top 500.
Background
In the midst of a monster 2016-2017 international signing class, the Padres inked Patiño for just $130,000 out of Colombia as he was new to pitching as a converted shortstop. Patiño simply gained velocity and feel for pitching as he filled into his frame and began a very rapid ascent through the Padres farm system. In 2018, at just 18, he spent his whole year at full-season low-A, pitching to a 2.16 ERA and a 2.33 FIP.
The 2019 season saw the 19 year old dominate the hitter-friendly California League, and if anything, he was even better when he was promoted to Double-A Amarillo before a blister issue landed him on the injured list and ended his season.
Physical description
Patiño is listed at six feet tall and just a shade under 200 pounds. Those numbers look spot on, but in his frame, what is notable is the length of his arms and legs. He has long legs for his height, and he utilizes those legs in his full delivery, with a high knee lift, bringing his knee up under his glove, nearly all the way up to his nose at the peak of his delivery before coming to the plate.
From the stretch, Patiño goes with a much more slight knee lift, and his arm slot does waver more from the stretch. He holds a pure 3/4 slot fairly well from his full delivery, but he can see his arm slot slide to a high 3/4 with the fastball and dip some with his breaking pitches from stretch. If he keeps his arm slot, the ball does tunnel tremendously well, making it near-impossible to pick up out of hand.
Pitch mix
Working out of the bullpen, Patiño will likely feature his two plus pitches - a fastball that sits mid-90s and can touch 98-99 in bursts along with a slider that touches 90 and sits in the upper-80s with incredible late bite. The slider is a potential double-plus pitch. He works with a curve that is considered above average, but that is often the pitch that he is noted to dip to a lower slot to generate movement for when he dips his slot out of the stretch. His change has developed, but it is still an average pitch, with excellent late sink but struggles in command and control of the pitch.
Health
Patiño size will certainly lead many to question his ability to remain healthy as a starter as he’s not a 6’4” starter with a monster build, but he is athletically built and doesn’t put his body in bad position on the mound. He does have a tendency to get caught up in game moments and move his arm slot slightly to match the game moment, and that’s where a pitcher can potentially run into issues.
Outcomes
On his fastball/slider/curve combination, Patiño would be an absolutely dominant reliever, potentially handling multiple innings. He’s going to get work out of the bullpen right now, and the Padres could fall in love with his effectiveness in the role, and that could pigeon-hole him to that destination. He does have a legit change and the ability to control his primary three pitches well enough to work as a starter, however, and with his raw stuff, he certainly has the upside to potentially work as a frontline starter.
Conclusion
Patiño’s raw talent will be fun to watch in this role, and the Padres are certainly going to give his arm the opportunity to experience the taxes of going through a big league lineup. With a present opportunity at the back of the Padres bullpen, this could be a David Price/Chris Sale sort of debut where he comes in as a dominant reliever for a short debut before resuming his future as a starter.