Atlanta Braves Top Prospects via Tomahawk Take, 11-15
By Ryan Cothran
14. RHP, Arodys Vizcaino
Arodys Vizcaino- At one point in time, Vizcaino was part of the next “big 3”, when he was paired with 2 other Braves’ top prospects Randall Delgado and current ace of the Braves, Julio Teheran. That seems like ages ago, and in a baseball journey sense, probably feels like it for “Vizzy”.
After being acquired from the Yankees half a decade ago (yes, its been that long), Vizcaino pitched 2 years of promising baseball with the Braves and was on the fast track to the majors as he advanced from Low-A all the way to AAA in a matter of months. Then, in August of 2011, he was called up to the Majors to help bolster the bullpen. Apparently, it was too much for his arm and in the spring of the following year, he came down with the Tommy John bug, and it bit him HARD (actually, he was diagnosed with a partially torn ligament almost 2 years prior and chose rehab over surgery, delaying what we now know was inevitability).
In July of 2012, the Braves traded the rehabbing Vizzy and Jaye Chapman to the Cubs in exchange for Reed Johnson and Paul Maholm. The Cubs were hoping that Vizcaino would regain form for next season and be an anchor in their rotation for years to come, but there were setbacks… about a year and a half of them. Finally, in 2014, after almost 900 days of relevant baseball, Vizcaino started pitching again. For the most part, it was successful and much of his arsenal was back to normal, but apparently the Cubs soured on him as much as the Braves missed him. And in November of 2014, the Braves reacquired the RHP from the Cubs in exchange for Tommy La Stella and some international blah blah blah. The shine might have been rubbed off a bit, but it’s still there.
Fastball used to be mid-to-upper 90s, but now reports are surfacing that it’s dropped to low-to-mid. His 4-pitch repertoire still helps him profile as a starter but, due to injuries, he’ll likely be limited to a relief role (although I’d love to see him in a starter position, but realize the risk involved) with the Braves. Look for Vizcaino to try to put his stamp on the 8th inning role at some point in 2015, especially if the Braves trade the veterans signed in the offseason. With a RH relief core of Kimbrel, Vizcaino, and Simmons, the bullpen should be a force for years to come. It’s up in the air whether Vizcaino will start in Atlanta or Gwinnett. Regardless, we shall see him in Atlanta at some point during the season should he prove healthy.