Ismael Guillon

Organization Prospect Rankings

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  Ranked Cincinnati Reds #29 prospect in 2017
  Guillon's career with the Reds stretches so far back that when he joined the organization, Edwin Encarnacion was the Cincinnati third baseman. Since then Guillon has missed a season because of Tommy John surgery and another season with a torn lat. But he bounced back in 2016 to show big league-caliber stuff again. Guillon's above-average 92-93 mph fastball will touch 95, but he uses it primarily to set up a plus changeup that earns some plus-plus grades. His control is well below-average, but even that is an improvement on seasons past. He sharpened his curveball to the point where it's a useable below-average pitch. Guillon has yet to reach Double-A and he will be 25 in 2017, so he needs to speed up his development. As a lefty with a plus fastball, a plus changeup and one of the best pickoff moves in the minors, Guillon still has a chance to be a useful reliever.
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  Ranked Cincinnati Reds #31 prospect in 2015
  Guillon has left scouts shaking their heads in a variety of ways during his still-young career. At times he has pitched like the Reds' best lefthanded mound prospect, but with career walk rate of 5.1 batters per nine innings, he's plagued by well below-average control. At his best, Guillon shows a double-plus changeup that he pairs with a plus 92-94 mph fastball, and he regularly erases baserunners with an excellent pickoff move. The Reds were impressed enough with the southpaw that they added him to the 40-man roster following the 2012 season to avoid exposing him to the Rule 5 draft. Guillon has yet to take a leap forward in his development, however. He doesn't throw nearly enough strikes to find consistent success and his focus seems to wane. Flashes of potential become less alluring the older a pitcher becomes, and Guillon will be 23 as heads to high Class A Daytona in 2015.
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  Ranked Cincinnati Reds #12 prospect in 2014
  The Reds added Guillon to the 40-man roster following the 2012 season after he lit up instructional league with a plus fastball and changeup. At the time, they feared some team might take a Rule 5 chance on the southpaw despite his inexperience (just 25 innings in full-season ball). Fast-forward a year and Guillon is the same baffling combination of promise and pratfalls. In one early-season start, he threw 12 balls in his first 13 pitches, bouncing four of them. In another stretch, he walked 15 batters in five innings, showing 20 command and a below-average, mid-80s fastball. Guillon, however, closed the season by going 3-1, 1.34 over his last six starts with vastly improved control, and when he's maintaining his delivery, he works with a 91-96 mph fastball. Guillon's changeup is the best in the system with excellent deception and good late fade. His 11-to-5 curveball improved significantly this year to flash average. His control problems stem in part from a long arm action and a wrap in his takeaway. Guillon will advance to the high Class A Bakersfield rotation in 2014, though ultimately he may settle as a power reliever, where his fastball will play up and his poor control will be mitigated.
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  Ranked Cincinnati Reds #9 prospect in 2013
  Other teams scouted Guillon more as a hitter, but the Reds signed him for $220,000 as a pitcher in 2008. When he was found to need Tommy John surgery, they voided his original deal and re-signed him at a significantly reduced rate. The renegotiation made him eligible for the Rule 5 draft if he wasn't on the 40-man roster, and while he went unpicked in 2010 and 2011, Cincinnati protected him this offseason. Guillon's changeup is a true plus pitch. He throws it with the same arm speed as his fastball and is willing to double up on it, baffling even hitters who are looking for the pitch. The quality of his changeup helps his fastball play up. He usually works at 89-92 mph, touching 94 on some nights but struggling to top 90 on others. His curveball is well below average, but Guillon's biggest weakness is his control. He has smoothed out his delivery, reducing a pronounced wrap in the back, but he still needs to repeat his mechanics better. His delivery does give him some deception. While Guillon's 40-man roster spot means he'll head to big league spring training, he has a lot of development ahead of him. He'll open 2013 in low Class A after making four strong starts there to conclude last season.
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  Ranked Cincinnati Reds #16 prospect in 2011
  Guillon was the third significant international signing during the Reds' spending spree in 2008. Not long after the Reds signed him for $220,000, however, they found that he had a torn elbow ligament. His original contract was voided, and he signed for a significantly lower amount. The Reds then waited until 2010 to see him get back on the mound. Because he signed a second contract with his original team, Guillon will be eligible for the Rule 5 draft every year until he's added to the 40-man roster; he wasn't taken in the 2010 Rule 5. When he did get back on the hill, he showed much of what the Reds liked before his injury. Guillon is advanced for a young pitcher, with a live, 90-92 mph fastball, but his out pitch is a plus changeup that overmatched hitters in the Rookie-level Arizona League. He didn't use his fringy breaking ball much last year because he was coming back from injury, so that will be a focus for him this year. Guillon has cleaned up his delivery, reducing a wrap, and he showed good feel for setting up hitters. He'll battle for a full-season spot with Dayton but may open the season in extended spring training.

Minor League Top Prospects

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  Ranked Pioneer League #20 prospect in 2012
  Guillon was one of the league's most improved players from a year ago. After posting a 6.57 ERA in 2011, he cut it to 2.29 this summer before a promotion to low Class A. His control also took a dramatic step forward, with his K-BB ratio doubling from 1.3 to 2.6. "It's been like night and day," Kelly said. "To see the growth in him over the last year is what's really been impressive to me." Guillon sits from 89-92 mph with his fastball, and his deceptive delivery means the pitch gets on hitters quickly. He has tremendous feel for a plus changeup that's his best pitch. His ability to improve a curveball that grades as a 30 on the 20-80 scouting scale ultimately will determine his ceiling.
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  Ranked Arizona Complex League #9 prospect in 2010
  Guillon first came to prominence as a member of Venezuela's 16-and-under national team. His original contract in 2008 was voided by the Reds because of injury concerns, but he later re-signed for less money. He subsequently had Tommy John surgery before debuting this summer in the AZL, which he led in strikeouts (73), strikeouts per nine innings (11.5) and opponent average (.193). Guillon usually works at 90-92 mph with his live fastball, and he backs it up with a plus changeup. "His fastball-changeup combination is as good as it gets," Reds pitching coach Tom Browning said. "The changeup is the best in the league . . . best in a lot of leagues." The Reds will work with Guillon to develop his breaking ball and increase the tempo of his three-quarters delivery during instructional league. His mechanics are sound, putting to rest past concerns about his arm action.

• December, 2012 Scouting Report
  Background: Other teams scouted Guillon more as a hitter, but the Reds signed him for $220,000 as a pitcher in 2008. When he was found to need Tommy John surgery, they voided his original deal and re-signed him at a significantly reduced rate. The renegotiation made him eligible for the Rule 5 draft if he wasn't on the 40-man roster, and while he went unpicked in 2010 and 2011, Cincinnati protected him this offseason. Scouting Report: Guillon's changeup is a true plus pitch. He throws it with the same arm speed as his fastball and is willing to double up on it, baffling even hitters who are looking for the pitch. The quality of his changeup helps his fastball play up. He usually works at 89-92 mph, touching 94 on some nights but struggling to top 90 on others. His curveball is well below average, but Guillon's biggest weakness is his control. He has smoothed out his delivery, reducing a pronounced wrap in the back, but he still needs to repeat his mechanics better. His delivery does give him some deception. The Future: While Guillon's 40-man roster spot means he'll head to big league spring training, he has a lot of development ahead of him. He'll open 2013 in low Class A after making four strong starts there to conclude last season.