Keury Mella

Mella has received big-league cups of coffee in each of the last three seasons but has failed to impress, posting a 7.94 ERA (7.76 FIP) over 17 innings. His struggles extended to the minors in 2019 as he registered a 5.05 ERA and 1.51 WHIP in 27 starts with Triple-A Louisville. It was a frustrating result as Mella appeared poised for a breakthrough after a 2018 campaign in which he logged a 3.00 ERA over 108 minor-league innings. The Dominican certainly has the arm strength to succeed -- his fastball can touch the upper-90s -- but he has yet to convert that into big strikeout numbers, posting a combined 7.3 K/9 at the Double-A and Triple-A levels. Considering his 4.16 ERA across the same levels, Mella doesn't appear to be on a path to stardom, and he may eventually be moved to the bullpen. That could be another team's decision, however, as Mella elected free agency after the Reds outrighted him in November.

Mella reached the majors for the first time last September, allowing three earned runs in four innings. The 24-year-old spent the bulk of the year with Double-A Pensacola, tossing 134 innings with an unimpressive 4.30 ERA, though his 3.48 xFIP suggests that he deserved better. His walk rate was a solid 7.5 percent, but he struck out just 18.9 percent of the batters he faced. With a fastball that can touch 98 and a solid curveball, Mella could be a weapon in the bullpen. He'll remain a starter for the time being and could become a fourth starter with some changeup development. He'll return to the minors this year to continue working on his changeup and command, but Mella could get another opportunity with the big-league club later this season as the rebuilding Reds continue to churn through their young starters.

Mella turned in his first full season with the Reds in 2016 after being acquired via trade from the Giants a year earlier. In 131.2 innings with High-A Daytona, the young righty posted a 3.90 ERA and 1.56 WHIP. It was an unfortunate step back from his encouraging 2015 season in which he put up a 3.23 ERA and 1.15 WHIP. His K/9 rate fell from 9.3 in 2015 to 6.5 in 2016 and his BB/9 held steady at an uninspiring 3.8. With a plus fastball and a power curveball, Mella has the stuff to eventually become a big league pitcher, but he will need to improve upon his command and consistency before he's ready to take the next leap forward. He was added to the Reds' 40-man roster this offseason and remains an interesting deep dynasty prospect.

Mella came over to the Reds from the Giants in the Mike Leake deal. By most accounts he was the Giants' top prospect remaining in the system and fit somewhere among the top 100 prospects in baseball. He essentially struck out a batter per inning at High-A ball, though his walk rate spiked after arriving in the Reds' farm system. Like many of the Reds' pitching prospects, Mella's offspeed pitches need refining, but he has a mid-90's fastball with a lot of late movement. We'll see if he can successfully scale the Double-A wall in 2016.

With a mid-90s fastball that will miss bats and generate weak contact in the zone against the best hitters in the world thanks to serious late life, Mella profiles as the best starting pitching prospect in the Giants’ system. His changeup and curveball cannot match the current utility of his fastball, but with an uptick in command, both secondary offerings could be weapons, giving him the realistic future ceiling of a No. 3 pitcher on a contender. After opening the season laying waste to hitters in the Northwest League, Mella was promoted to Low-A Augusta as a 20-year-old, where he posted a 3.93 ERA (2.79 FIP) with a 63:13 K:BB ratio in 66.1 innings. The 6-foot-2 righty out of the Dominican Republic will face a significant challenge as he moves to High-A San Jose this year, but with continued success, a major league ETA of late 2016 should start to come into focus.