The number 19 prospect for the Los Angeles Dodgers is Edwin Uceta, a right-handed pitcher out of the Dominican Republic. He stands 6’0 weighing 155 pounds at the age of 23 years old. He was signed as an International Free Agent in 2015.
Uceta has pitched in both AAA and MLB this year. Pitched 12.2 innings in AAA with a 4.97 ERA with 16 strikeouts and 7 walks. With the MLB Dodgers, he has pitched 16.2 innings with an 8.10 ERA with 18 strikeouts and 11 walks.
Edwin Uceta just isn’t ready to be in the Major Leagues right now. He is only up in the majors because of the injury problems the Dodgers have had all year. The Dodgers wanted Josiah Gray, Dodgers #1 Prospect, to be put in that role this year but he injured his shoulder so they decided to bring up Uceta.
His pitch mix is Fastball, Curveball, and a Changeup. Fastball sits around 90-93 MPH and tops out at 95 MPH. That’s surprising because of his small build. He doesn’t have great control of the pitch. His curveball has an 11-6 movement on the pitch. The pitch can sometimes look like a slurve if he needs it to break a little differently. Just like the fastball, he doesn’t have great control of the pitch. His clear as day best pitch is his changeup. It’s probably one of the best pitches in the entire Dodger Farm System. The pitch has great late movement which fools hitters. It is a tough pitch to steal some strikes with because of how late the break is but the pitch isn’t designed to steal strikes. It is designed to create swings and misses due to its 10-15 MPH difference from the fastball. As is the theme of Dodger pitching prospects, he needs to work on his control of all pitches to truly be an impactful pitcher.
Right now, he can be a spot starter if you are that desperate or he can pitch in low leverage situations. Edwin Uceta is better-suited pitching in AAA.