Carlos Duran, a right-handed pitcher, is the Dodgers #17 prospect, an international free agent signing out of the Dominican Republic in 2018. The 20-year-old is a behemoth, standing 6’7 weighing 230 pounds. In his 3rd year with the Dodgers’ organization, he is playing for the Low A Rancho Cucamonga Quakes. Duran has played in 17 games, 15 of them as a starter. Carlos is 2-3 with a 5.76 ERA in 59.1 innings pitched. He does have a high K/9 (Strikeouts Per 9 Innings) at 13.80 but also has a high BB/9 at 3.03.
Carlos Duran has a pitch mix of Fastball, Curveball, and a Changeup. His fastball can top out at 96 MPH but is more consistent at 90-94 MPH. Due to his size, his velocity is expected to improve as he develops. The pitch also has some incredible movement as it runs into the hands of right-handed batters.
The curveball has a sharp break with a tight spin. Duran doesn’t have the consistency to throw the pitch with the tight spin every time, which hurts the value of this pitch. The curveball has some great downward movement, but with the inconsistent spin issues, it can’t be relied upon to be successful at this time. Carlos does, however, have the framework and ability to fix that problem.
The changeup is thrown around 86 MPH. If he can increase the velocity of his fastball but keep the same speed with his changeup, it will be a really good 3rd pitch for Duran. It shows some decent movement, but he doesn’t throw it often because the speed differential between the fastball and changeup not sufficient to be as effective.
Carlos Duran is expected to be called up to the Major League Dodgers in 2023. He very much can make it to the Majors in that timeframe. If he can improve his fastball velocity, throw the curveball more consistently, and trust his changeup, he can be a monster bullpen piece. His pitch movement is MLB-ready. Most baseball players aim for the corners, but not Carlos Duran. He targets a general area in the strike zone and lets the direction of all his pitches do the work.