Natanael Mateo

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked San Diego Padres #24 prospect in 2005
  Mateo had pitched for five seasons before making his stateside debut. Both the Phillies (for whom he pitched in the Dominican Summer League) and the Hiroshima Carp (for whom he pitched in the Japanese minor leagues) gave up on Mateo, who was signed by the Padres after the 2003 season on the recommendation of one of San Diego's Dominican scouts. Mateo has a live arm, sitting at 90-93 and often touching the mid-90s. He has excellent command of the pitch, not just throwing strikes, but also consistently painting the corners with it. That pitch alone was enough to succeed in A-ball, but he'll need to expand his repertoire to succeed at the higher levels. His slider is flat and slurvy and his changeup is well-below-average. Mateo's delivery is somewhat violent, and he has problems getting into fielding position after release. He will continue to struggle against lefthanded batters, who hit .293 against him last year, unless he can find a secondary offering to combat them. The Padres hope he finds a second pitch quickly as he begins the year in Double-A.