Philadelphia Phillies 2018 top prospects: Nos. 11-15

Our look at the top 20 prospects in the Phillies system continues with numbers 11 through 15, starting off with Seranthony Dominguez at No. 15.

Seranthony Dominguez started off his professional career with the Phillies as it took two full seasons in the Dominican League before he started his career in the U.S. in 2014. It wasn’t until two years later that he made it so short-season Williamsport after injuries robbed him of nearly the entire 2015 season.

Last year, Dominguez made 10 starts in Low-A Lakewood and finished the season with a 2.42 ERA. He moved up the ladder to High-A Clearwater this year, where he looked utterly dominant through his first six starts. He struck out 45 batters and had a 1.01 WHIP in 35.2 innings pitched.

That hot start was cut short after Dominguez suffered a biceps injury, forcing him to miss nearly two months. After returning to Clearwater, he struggled with control, walking 5.74 batters per nine innings in his last seven starts. This led to Dominguez posting a 5.74 ERA in that stretch despite striking out nearly 25 percent of opposing hitters.

When Dominguez has all of his pitches working for him, he has the makings of a solid rotation arm. His fastball sits consistently in the mid-90s and his slider looked above-average, if not plus, during that early season run of dominance. His changeup can be an average pitch as well, but Eric Longenhagen of Fangraphs pointed out that Dominguez’s arm slows down when he throws it. Obviously his command is inconsistent, but he shows the ability to throw consistent strikes at times.

Dominguez is Rule 5 eligible this offseason, but a team isn’t likely to try and steal Dominguez considering he has thrown just 62.1 innings in High-A. A full season of health in Double-A next year would go a long way to show Dominguez can be a rotation arm in the future.