Wascar Serrano
| IP | 46 |
|---|---|
| ERA | 6.652 |
| WHIP | 1.761 |
| BB/9 | 4.109 |
| SO/9 | 7.63 |
- Full name Wascar Radames Serrano
- Born 06/02/1977 in Santo Domingo Centro, Dominican Republic
- Profile Ht.: 6'2" / Wt.: 180 / Bats: R / Throws: R
- School Las Carreres
- Debut 05/12/2001
Top Rankings
Organization Prospect Rankings
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Serrano entered 2001 ranked as San Diego's No. 3 prospect. He ended it having been traded to the Mariners after hitting the wall in Triple-A for the second straight year. The Padres once figured he'd be in their rotation by now, but decided that his best use would be to help bring them the shortstop (prospect Ramon Vazquez) they've been seeking for a while. Serrano tried to focus on throwing strikes last year, but only had modest success. Worse, the velocity on his fastball dropped from the low to mid-90s down to the high 80s. He didn't make much progress with his slider and changeup. Called up to the majors on three occasions, he got rocked as a starter and hammered even harder as a reliever. San Diego concluded that his best role was in the bullpen, and Seattle concurs. He'll probably get another dose of Triple-A, where he'll try to avoid becoming just another live arm who never rounds out his repertoire. -
For the first time in his four seasons in the United States, Serrano failed to make his league's Top 10 Prospects list. It still was a successful year, with the exception of a disastrous four-start stint in Triple-A at midseason. When he returned to Double-A, Serrano went 3-0, 2.16 in five starts. Serrano has the best fastball in the system. He can touch the mid-90s with his four-seam fastball, and his low-90s two-seamer is more effective because of its additional movement. He improved his breaking ball in 2000, and it's now more of a slider than a slurve. Serrano has been slow to pick up a changeup. After six pro seasons, it's still not effective or deceptive. He generally has been stingy with walks and homers, but that wasn't the case in Triple-A. Serrano will get a second shot at Triple-A in 2001, when the Padres' new affiliate (Portland) should be more pitcher-friendly than their old one (Las Vegas). The back end of San Diego's rotation is far from stable, so he could get a big league shot if he passes the Triple-A test this time around. -
Background: The Padres signed Serrano at 16 and left him to pitch in the Dominican Summer League for two seasons before bringing him to the United States in 1997. He was named the No. 5 prospect in the Rookie-level Arizona League in 1997. Strengths: Serrano has a steady low-90s fastball that he is able to keep low in the strike zone and spot on the inside corner. He has been clocked as high as 95, and the Padres feel he could add more velocity as he matures. Serrano's second pitch is a mid-80s hard slider. He has a sound, easy delivery and a relaxed, carefree mound demeanor. Weaknesses: Everything Serrano throws is hard. The Padres teach their young pitchers to use their fastballs aggressively before moving on to the subtleties of changing speeds, so Serrano has a long way to go in learning a workable change up. The Future: Serrano's strong 1998 season established him as a legitimate prospect. The task now will be to learn some of the finer points of pitching and he will likely start 1999 at Class A Rancho Cucamonga.
Minor League Top Prospects
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The lanky Serrano ranked second in the league in strikeouts when he was promoted to Double-A Mobile, but it was his grasp of the pitches complementing his 93-mph fastball that so impressed his followers. "Everybody talks about his arm," Quakes pitching coach Darrel Akerfelds said. "The fact that he learned command and how to use those pitches in the right situations means he doesn't overuse the fastball anymore." Serrano added a reliable changeup and a crisp slider to his two-seam and four-seam fastball arsenal, and made a breakthrough in realizing the importance of varying locations and pitch counts. "He's well on his way to being a four-pitch pitcher, plus he's a good athlete," Akerfelds said. "If the ball's bunted or hit in front of him, he's going to make the play." Serrano is only lacking the game experience it takes to refine his lessons.
