The Phillies are planning on converting pitching prospect Seranthony Dominguez to a relief pitcher during the 2018 season.
The Phillies have nine of their prospects in Philadelphia this week for the prospect education seminar; all nine of them are pitchers. Some of the top arms in the system, like Franklyn Kilome, JoJo Romero, and Ranger Suarez, are part of the group.
Plenty of other intriguing pitching prospects are in town as well; one of whom is Seranthony Dominguez. He signed with the club back in 2011, debuting stateside in 2014 in the Gulf Coast League.
Dominguez has been a slow riser through the system. He only reached High-A in 2017, his sixth minor-league season. The Phils added him to the 40-man roster this offseason, protecting him from the Rule 5 Draft. They obviously think highly of him if they added him and have brought him along for the seminar.
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Unlike many of the other pitching prospects in Philadelphia right now, Dominguez is headed to the bullpen according to Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia. The only other one in the group that is a full-time reliever is J.D. Hammer.
This move may actually work out for Dominguez. He can throw nearly 100 miles per hour, topping out at 98 or 99. His slider is a great secondary pitch and should play up in a relief role.
Director of player development Joe Jordan told Salisbury that Dominguez has the chance to “dominate” as a late-inning pitcher. That fastball-slider combo could turn him into an effective closer.
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However, it’s no sure thing just yet for Dominguez. He dealt with shoulder soreness this year, missing nearly two months of action. While he started off the year well, he struggled after returning from the injury, walking nearly six batters per nine innings. He posted a 5.63 ERA and 1.69 WHIP after coming back.
Dominguez had a high walk rate in Low-A in 2016 too, so a move to the bullpen may be best. He will still have to cut down on the walks to make it in the majors, but he could get more leeway as a reliever.
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Dominguez, like many of the other prospects at the seminar, will get their first crack at Double-A in 2018. It is regarded as one of the largest jumps for a pitching prospect to make, especially in a hitter’s haven like Reading. The team will be able to figure out which prospects are the real deal and which ones are a product of the easier competition in A-ball.