Angel Mata

Date of Birth: December 3, 1992 (Age 19) Hometown: Manicuare, Venezuela
Position: Pitcher Throws Right; Bats Right Frame: 6'2", 190lbs.
Acquired: Agreed to terms as an Undrafted Free Agent in January 2010
Other Notes: Was the GCL Twins Ace in 2011 Rookie Ball; Hasn't allowed a HR in 2 years of pitching
Suggested Nicknames :): "The Matador", "Automatac", "Babyface"


Prospect Organization Ranking: 29th in Baseball America, 49th in TwinkieTown.com's 2012 Top 50

Statistics:
2010 Dominican Summer League: 59.1 IP; 1-5 W/L; 2.12 ERA; 1.096 WHIP; 1CG; 8.2 K/9; 3.60 K/BB
2011 Gulf Coast League: 37 IP; 0-1 W/L; 1.46 ERA; 1.135 WHIP; 0CG; 7.3 K/9; 1.58 K/BB
2012 Gulf Coast League begins late June


Summary: Angel Mata is a talented, international player in the Twins minor league system. Angel is a right handed pitcher who understands the game and is very fundamentally sound. He plays defense well, holds runners, and can lay down a bunt if required to hit. "The Matador" tops out at 96 mph on the radar gun and has decent movement on all of his pitches. Currently, he has three pitches mastered in his arsenal: a Four Seam Fastball, a Slider, and a Cut Fastball. Angel relies on ground balls to get most of his outs and has an extremely high rate induced with a 56%.
Mata can struggle with command at times, and a move to the bullpen could be possible. He typically pitches 3 or 4 innings when he starts; although, he has shown glimpses of stamina in a few games. His work ethic has been a question mark more recently and it may be the biggest blockade for an eventual major league appearance. The Twins can only hope that it is maturity issue and that Angel Mata will become more determined with age. Despite the effort, he has shown no signs of being a clubhouse cancer and would likely be a good teammate.
As a teenager, Mata has continually breezed through the fRk and Rk levels with excellent numbers. If he's fortunate, a spot could very well open up for him in Beloit prior to the GCL's start in late June. Another successful season with the GCL Twins may all but guarantee a promotion if he doesn't get one this Summer.

Strengths: Average Velocity, Defense, Stamina

Weaknesses: Work Ethic, Spotty Control, Lacks "Stuff", Small Frame, Wish He Had a 4th Out Pitch

Potential Upside: #4 Starter (I'd like to make a comparison to an MLB player, but he's not on Youtube so I can't watch delivery, mechanics etc.)

ETA: 2017 (IF he can progress)

Sources: Baseball Reference, BBN

New posts will probably be scarce. He won't be playing for a few months and his name isn't really thrown around much when he's not playing.

Updates:
April 29th | Nothing Noteworthy (NN)
May 4th | NN
May 8th | NN
May 15th | NN (I'm closing it until he plays)

The 19 yr old had 5 scoreless innings for the 2nd consecutive game tonight giving up only 2 hits with 8Ks & 0bb.
Last 2 games 10IP 4h 17k 1bb
8 start so far this yr 35.1IP 21h .171BAA 2.29ERA 38k 18bb

As strong as Beloits team could be next year, they could field a rotation of Berrios (19 nxt yr), Boyd, Mata (both 20 next yr) & Bard