Julio Mateo

Organization Prospect Rankings

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  Ranked Seattle Mariners #30 prospect in 2002
  Mateo is the best prospect among the Mariners' second tier of minor league relievers, which also includes Aquilino Lopez and Roy Wells. Mateo led the system in saves last year, his first season as a closer. After mixed success in his first four years as a pro, he made improvements across the board in 2001. His fastball jumped to the mid-90s at times and he was more consistent with his slider. He also threw strikes more often and limited lefthanders to a .209 average and no homers in 67 at-bats. Mateo isn't very tall, so his pitches arrive on a fairly flat plane. If he makes similar strides in Double-A this year, he might be able to help Seattle at some point in 2003.