Rogelio Armenteros

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Houston Astros #26 prospect in 2020
  TRACK RECORD: When Armenteros made his MLB debut on June 14, it was the capstone of an eightyear journey that began with him pitching as a 17-year-old for Industriales of Cuba's Serie Nacional. After leaving Cuba, then-Astros scout Alex Jacobs saw him pitching in a workout for Rusney Castillo and signed him for $40,000.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Armenteros was added to the Astros 40-man roster before the 2019 season and seemed poised to be a fill-in starter. But Jose Urquidy ended up leap-frogging him into that role. Armenteros can work as either a spot starter or a multi-inning reliever, but other than a plus changeup, nothing in Armenteros' arsenal is particularly overwhelming. He can touch 95 mph with his average fastball, but more often he sits 90-92. He throws a below-average curve and will mix in a sporadic below-average slider almost entirely as a chase pitch for righthanded hitters. He has above-average control, but he's forced to stay around the edges of the zone and if he falls behind in the count, he'd rather walk the batter than give in.
  
  THE FUTURE: Armenteros is unlikely to be the Astros first option for a spot in the rotation in 2020, but he should get a shot at contributing at some point during the season. He's more crafty than anything, but can be a useful swingman.
• 
  Ranked Houston Astros #23 prospect in 2019
  Track Record: Signed for a modest $40,000 out of Cuba in 2014, Armenteros has proven to be a reliable and durable starter. He handled the picher-destroying Pacific Coast League in 2018, going 8-1, 3.74 for Triple-A Fresno. The Astros rewarded him with a 40-man roster spot after the season.
  
  Scouting Report: Armenteros carried a little more weight in 2018 and coincidentally or not, he didn't throw as hard as he did in 2017. His fastball, which got to 93-95 mph pretty regularly last year more generally sat 90-92 mph in 2018. It played more as a fringe-average pitch as well, but what Armenteros does is use his fastball to set up an outstanding plus changeup that draws comparisons to Chris Devenski's. The pitch is Armenteros' bread-and-butter in part because his curveball and slider are below-average. The two blend together at times, but neither is sharp enough to be a weapon.
  
  The Future: Armenteros went to the Dominican Winter League and pitched well. He's ready to be a fill-in starter/long-reliever for the Astros in 2019.
• 
  Ranked Houston Astros #12 prospect in 2018
  As a crafty righthander, Armenteros was asked to throw for a Rusney Castillo workout but he impressed enough that the Astros signed him for a modest $40,000. That's proven to be a bargain. Armenteros is still crafty, but now he's crafty while throwing 90-93 mph and touching 95. He will mix four-seamers up and away and two-seamers down in the zone. Even with increased velocity, he's still more sneaky than overpowering as hitters do not know what pitch is coming at any point in the count and he locates well with above-average control. Armenteros' plus changeup is his best pitch as he'll use it at any time and, thanks to its deception, trusts it enough to throw it back-to-back. His slider, curve and cutter are all more of fringe-average pitches, but all three can be effective. Armenteros is ready to compete for a big league job and is a viable starting option if the Astros need a mid-season call-up. He's a durable back-of-the-rotation starter.
• 
  Ranked Houston Astros #24 prospect in 2017
  Armenteros posted a 9.45 ERA as a 17-year-old in his lone year in Cuba's top league, Serie Nacional, and he was not a significant name on the showcase circuit as a Cuban looking for a contract. But he pitched well enough in workouts facing Rusney Castillo and other notable names that the Astros signed him for $40,000. In the two seasons since, he has impressed the Astros with feel, deception and better-than-expected stuff. Armenteros gets swings-and-misses up in the zone with an 88-93 mph fastball, and he can sink a heavy fastball down in the zone that is hard to lift. But hitters struggle to sit on his fastball because he likes to mix in his cutter, curveball, changeup and slider. None is plus, but all are fringe-average to average. Armenteros' 76-78 mph curve is a deep 12-to-6 breaker. His 80-81 mph slider is a little sweepy, while his 81-83 mph changeup has good deception and angle. Armenteros finished 2016 as a starter at Double-A Corpus Christi, and he should open there in 2017.

Minor League Top Prospects

• 
  Ranked Texas League #12 prospect in 2017
  One of the top performers in the minors, Armenteros made 10 starts (14 appearances) for Corpus Christi this season before finishing the year with another 10 at Triple-A Fresno. His 1.93 ERA and .207 opponent average ranked in the top 10 for TL starters who qualified for this list. Though a lack of pure stuff might knock Armenteros' ceiling down to No. 4 or 5 starter, he has five pitches he can throw for strikes and a fastball that reaches up to 95 mph. His changeup took a step forward this season, giving him a swing-and-miss pitch that he's comfortable throwing in nearly any count. He rounds out his arsenal with a curveball, slider and cutter, all of which have average potential. Many observers believe Armenteros will reach his ceiling because of his deception, propensity to keep the ball down, and his ability to compete, while also showing plus command with a strikeout-to-walk ratio nearing 4-to-1.

• February, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: When Armenteros made his MLB debut on June 14, it was the capstone of an eightyear journey that began with him pitching as a 17-year-old for Industriales of Cuba's Serie Nacional. After leaving Cuba, then-Astros scout Alex Jacobs saw him pitching in a workout for Rusney Castillo and signed him for $40,000.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Armenteros was added to the Astros 40-man roster before the 2019 season and seemed poised to be a fill-in starter. But Jose Urquidy ended up leap-frogging him into that role. Armenteros can work as either a spot starter or a multi-inning reliever, but other than a plus changeup, nothing in Armenteros' arsenal is particularly overwhelming. He can touch 95 mph with his average fastball, but more often he sits 90-92. He throws a below-average curve and will mix in a sporadic below-average slider almost entirely as a chase pitch for righthanded hitters. He has above-average control, but he's forced to stay around the edges of the zone and if he falls behind in the count, he'd rather walk the batter than give in.
  
  THE FUTURE: Armenteros is unlikely to be the Astros first option for a spot in the rotation in 2020, but he should get a shot at contributing at some point during the season. He's more crafty than anything, but can be a useful swingman.