Alejandro Hidalgo
| IP | 122 |
|---|---|
| ERA | 4.869 |
| WHIP | 1.533 |
| BB/9 | 5.754 |
| SO/9 | 10.697 |
- Full name Alejandro Francisco Jose Hidalgo
- Born 05/22/2003 in Maracay, Venezuela
- Profile Ht.: 6'1" / Wt.: 160 / Bats: R / Throws: R
Top Rankings
Organization Prospect Rankings
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BA Grade/Risk: 45/High
Track Record: Coming out of Venezuela, Hidalgo impressed with his stuff and feel for pitching, but an elbow injury as an amateur that required a screw in his elbow left some teams wary. Hidalgo was firmly establishing himself in 2022 as one of the better pitching prospects in the Angels system when shoulder soreness ended his season in early June. He worked on strengthening and rehabbing his shoulder in the second half, and the Twins were happy enough with his recovery to acquire him in the November trade that sent Gio Urshela to the Angels.
Scouting Report: Hidalgo's 88-93 mph average fastball has the flat plane and excellent life to be effective up in the zone. The pitch has around 20 inches of induced vertical break and he also gets plenty of armside run. He has plenty of confidence in his plus, low-80s changeup, as he can get hitters to swing over it. Sometimes it will show late fade as well. He is comfortable using it to righthanders and lefties. His high-70s curveball is a clear third pitch. It is a bigger breaker he struggles to command. He has above-average control and command.
The Future: Hidalgo was one of the youngest players in the California League in 2022. Even if the Twins start him back at Low-A, he still is on a relatively speedy track. He's a crafty back-end starter who will eventually need a better breaking ball, but he can retire Class A hitters with the quality of his fastball and changeup.
Scouting Grades: Fastball: 50. Curveball: 40. Changeup: 60. Control: 55.
Scouting Reports
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BA Grade/Risk: 45/High
Track Record: Coming out of Venezuela, Hidalgo impressed with his stuff and feel for pitching, but an elbow injury as an amateur that required a screw in his elbow left some teams wary. Hidalgo was firmly establishing himself in 2022 as one of the better pitching prospects in the Angels system when shoulder soreness ended his season in early June. He worked on strengthening and rehabbing his shoulder in the second half, and the Twins were happy enough with his recovery to acquire him in the November trade that sent Gio Urshela to the Angels.
Scouting Report: Hidalgo's 88-93 mph average fastball has the flat plane and excellent life to be effective up in the zone. The pitch has around 20 inches of induced vertical break and he also gets plenty of armside run. He has plenty of confidence in his plus, low-80s changeup, as he can get hitters to swing over it. Sometimes it will show late fade as well. He is comfortable using it to righthanders and lefties. His high-70s curveball is a clear third pitch. It is a bigger breaker he struggles to command. He has above-average control and command.
The Future: Hidalgo was one of the youngest players in the California League in 2022. Even if the Twins start him back at Low-A, he still is on a relatively speedy track. He's a crafty back-end starter who will eventually need a better breaking ball, but he can retire Class A hitters with the quality of his fastball and changeup.
Scouting Grades: Fastball: 50. Curveball: 40. Changeup: 60. Control: 55. -
BA Grade/Risk: 45/High
Track Record: Coming out of Venezuela, Hidalgo impressed with his stuff and feel for pitching, but an elbow injury as an amateur that required a screw in his elbow left some teams wary. Hidalgo was firmly establishing himself in 2022 as one of the better pitching prospects in the Angels system when shoulder soreness ended his season in early June. He worked on strengthening and rehabbing his shoulder in the second half, and the Twins were happy enough with his recovery to acquire him in the November trade that sent Gio Urshela to the Angels.
Scouting Report: Hidalgo's 88-93 mph average fastball has the flat plane and excellent life to be effective up in the zone. The pitch has around 20 inches of induced vertical break and he also gets plenty of armside run. He has plenty of confidence in his plus, low-80s changeup, as he can get hitters to swing over it. Sometimes it will show late fade as well. He is comfortable using it to righthanders and lefties. His high-70s curveball is a clear third pitch. It is a bigger breaker he struggles to command. He has above-average control and command.
The Future: Hidalgo was one of the youngest players in the California League in 2022. Even if the Twins start him back at Low-A, he still is on a relatively speedy track. He's a crafty back-end starter who will eventually need a better breaking ball, but he can retire Class A hitters with the quality of his fastball and changeup.
Scouting Grades: Fastball: 50. Curveball: 40. Changeup: 60. Control: 55. -
BA Grade: 45/High
Track Record: Hidalgo suffered an injury to his right arm as an amateur that resulted in surgery to place a screw in his right elbow, but he quickly emerged as a sleeper after the Angels signed him out of Venezuela. Hidalgo stood out as one of the top pitchers in the Arizona Complex League in 2021 and carried his success into full-season ball in 2022, ranking among the California League strikeout leaders through the first six weeks of the season.
Scouting Report: Hidalgo is an undersized righthander with a well-rounded arsenal and an advanced feel for pitching. His fastball sits 92-94 mph and has room to tick up as he matures and gets stronger. He has a good feel for spinning a potentially plus curveball, and his changeup has improved to become another weapon he has an excellent feel for locating. Hidalgo is a crafty pitcher who will work backwards, but he can also reach back for 95-96 mph when he needs to. Hidalgo does an excellent job of keeping hitters off balance and throws everything for strikes with average control.
The Future: Hidalgo projects to be a solid No. 5 starter for now, but he has a chance to become more as he matures physically. He just turned 19 and is moving quickly for his age. -
Hidalgo has been an early standout in the Rookie-level Arizona Complex League. The 18-year-old has sat 92-94 mph with his fastball and shown an advanced feel to spin a curveball while maintaining impressive strikeout-to-walk numbers. It has been the continuation of an upward trend for Hidalgo, who signed with the Angels during the 2019-20 international signing period. An arm injury that required surgery to place a screw in his right elbow dampened his stock as an amateur, but he quickly emerged as a potential sleeper after signing and has lived up to it in his pro debut.
Career Transactions
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Cedar Rapids Kernels placed RHP Alejandro Hidalgo on the 7-day injured list.
