In the MLB Pipeline's midseason update to the Philadelphia Phillies Top 30 prospect rankings, many players moved up and down, but none as much as the new No. 13 prospect Jean Cabrera.
Unheralded Phillies prospect Jean Cabrera makes biggest jump in MLB Pipeline Top 30 update
Entering the season, Cabrera was not a major part of the Phillies' plans, coming in unranked in the system. After channeling his former prowess, Cabrera started 2024 strong and earned the jump up the rankings.
The Venezuelan and former Phillies Minor League Pitcher of the Year in 2021 started his Phillies career right after signing for only $10,000 in the 2019-20 period. In his first season of professional baseball, Cabrera pitched to a 1.54 ERA over 52 2/3 innings while striking out 61. This same year Bryson Stott was also awarded the Paul Owens award for Phillies Minor League Player of the Year.
After a few rough seasons in Clearwater in 2022 and 2023, Cabrera returned to form this season, earning a promotion to Double-A Reading.
🦀1️⃣3️⃣ strikeouts over six great innings from Jean Cabrera! pic.twitter.com/WCulXKYah9
— Jersey Shore BlueClaws (@BlueClaws) June 13, 2024
In 18 games over 97 innings between two levels, the six-foot righty boasts an ERA of 3.53 with 3.00 BB/9. Over the course of his 17 starts, Cabrera has only three outings of less than five innings, the same amount of outings he has of double-digit strikeouts.
His most recent 10-plus strikeout performance came on July 4 when he tossed six innings with 10 strikeouts while allowing no hits and only one walk for Jersey Shore. The next start he made was for the Fightin Phils.
Cabrera owns not only advanced stuff, but advanced command as well
Just like when the Phillies signed him during International Free Agency, scouts and executives are starting to see the value that Cabrera can bring to a team.
Being 22 years old and only 145 pounds, Cabrera has incredible life on both of his fastballs, the two-seamer and the four-seamer, sitting around 94-95 mph but reaching as high as 98 mph. Many scouts think that if he added some size to his young, thin frame, Cabrera could be throwing upwards of 100 mph.
It doesn't end there for the Phillies minor league standout. He has two secondary pitches, a changeup and a sweeper. The changeup sits just under 90 mph and has become his primary pitch to get batters off the fastball. It's even an out pitch at times, much like Phillies starters Ranger Suárez and Cristopher Sánchez.
Cabrera's sweeper is still raw but has tremendous action to it. With a high-velocity fastball and an effective changeup, Cabrera can work in the sweeper to throw hitters off balance and, from time to time, buckle some knees and catch a batter looking.
The most impressive thing about Cabrera is his ability to command his arsenal and throw strikes. In young pitchers, it is common to have plus stuff and movement but where many of these players lack is controlling the stuff.
The leap in rankings for Cabrera comes off the back of this skill. Minor league pitchers who can consistently throw strikes and command the zone are not only of a higher value than others who can't but more MLB-ready than most.
Cabrera looks to be the best prospect from the Phillies class and to continue his rise up the MLB prospect rankings with a great second half for Double-A Reading.