Julian Aguiar Stats & Scouting Report

IP	31.7
ERA	6.25
WHIP	1.355
BB/9	3.4
SO/9	5.4

Full name Julian Aguiar
Born 06/04/2001 in Long Beach, CA
Profile Ht.: 6'3" / Wt.: 180 / Bats: L / Throws: R
School Cypress JC
Drafted in the 12th round (360th overall) by the Cincinnati Reds in 2021 (signed for $125,000).

View Draft Report

Aguilar primarily played the infield in high school but showed promise on the mound as an upperclassman. He began focusing on pitching full time at El Camino (Calif.) JC and quickly emerged as one of the state’s top junior college prospects in 2020 before the season shut down. He transferred to Cypress (Calif.) JC this spring and showed a velocity bump to remain one of the top JC prospects in the region. Aguilar is a slim, projectable athlete with a loose, quick arm. His fastball ranges from 90-95 mph with plus life out of an easy, low-effort delivery, and some evaluators believe he could touch 100 mph in the future after he adds weight and strength to his 180-pound frame. His slider and changeup both flash above-average to give him to the three-pitch mix to start, but his control comes and goes and will need to be tightened up. He is committed to Tennessee and has a chance to be a member of the Volunteers’ weekend rotation if he makes it to campus.

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

BA Grade/Risk: 50/High

Track Record: A nice scouting find as a 12th-round junior college pitcher, Aguiar impressed throughout 2023 as he used his fastball and slider to dominate Midwest and Southern league hitters. When Hunter Greene went on the injured list, Aguiar made his MLB debut on Aug. 19 in Toronto, which added some complications, because Aguiar’s passport was at his home in California, while Aguiar was on the road with Triple-A Louisville in Omaha. Aguiar generally held his own as a starter until a final start where he gave up seven runs in four innings. He went on the injured list after that start and ended up having Tommy John surgery in October.

Scouting Report: Aguiar’s steady velocity gains have helped his fastball/slider pairing find another gear. He sat 94-95 mph with his sinker, which set up his 79-81 mph slider. At his best, Aguiar lives just on and off the edge of the zone gloveside with his slider while working down and in the zone with his sinker. He’s started to rely less on his curve, but he has improved his changeup, which is now a useful if fringy pitch he spots to lefties.

The Future: Aguiar will miss the entirety of the 2025 season as he rehabs his injured elbow. The timing of the surgery should ensure he’s at full speed for spring training in 2026. He projects as a back-of-the-rotation starter whose slider could also fit nicely in a bullpen role if needed.

Scouting Grades: Fastball: 60 | Curveball: 40 | Slider: 60 | Changeup: 45 | Control: 60.
BA Grade: 50/High

Track Record: Aguiar started pitching relatively late in his high school career, but a year at Cypress (Calif.) JC exclusively on the mound helped make him a solid draft prospect. Aguiar was one of the youngest junior college players in the 2021. At 19, he was younger than some of the high school draftees. After a solid 2022 season, Aguiar dominated at times in 2023. His 1.92 ERA in the Midwest League was easily the best among pitchers with 70 or more innings.

Scouting Report: Aguiar made a big step forward in 2023. He showed that he not only has a big league-caliber array of pitches, but he’s also figuring out how to use them. He works up and in on lefties with his four-seamer, then drops in his curveball for strikes. His plus changeup is a weapon he wields against righties and lefties, but it is very much a chase pitch. He has a plus two-seamer in the mid 90s that is hard for righthanded hitters to handle, and there are days when his slider will flash above-average as well. On those days, he’s lights out. On others, the slider disappears and he’s much more hittable, especially for righthanded hitters.

The Future: Aguiar’s fastball, changeup and developing slider would work well in the bullpen, but he’s still got a shot to develop into a No. 4 starter.

Scouting Grades Fastball: 55 | Curveball: 45 | Slider: 50 | Changeup: 60 | Control: 55

Draft Prospects

Aguilar primarily played third base in high school but showed promise on the mound as an upperclassman. He began focusing on pitching full time at El Camino (Calif.) JC and quickly emerged as one of the state’s top junior college prospects. Aguilar is a slim, projectable athlete with a loose delivery and quick right arm. His fastball sits 89-93 mph and will touch 95 mph early in outings. His 78-81 mph slider is inconsistent and needs to be tightened up, but it shows the makings of an average pitch. He also has feel for a developing changeup. Aguilar overwhelmed hitters at the juco level with a 44-to-9 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 47.1 innings. He has the athleticism to repeat his delivery and continue throwing strikes. He is a hard worker with plenty of room for growth.

Career Transactions

Cincinnati Reds placed RHP Julian Aguiar on the 60-day injured list. UCL surgery on right elbow.
Cincinnati Reds activated RHP Julian Aguiar from the 15-day injured list.
Cincinnati Reds placed RHP Julian Aguiar on the 15-day injured list retroactive to September 21, 2024. Right elbow sprain.
Cincinnati Reds selected the contract of RHP Julian Aguiar from Louisville Bats.
RHP Julian Aguiar assigned to Louisville Bats from Chattanooga Lookouts.
Chattanooga Lookouts activated RHP Julian Aguiar.
RHP Julian Aguiar assigned to Chattanooga Lookouts from Dayton Dragons.
RHP Julian Aguiar assigned to Chattanooga Lookouts from Dayton Dragons.

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