Francisco Morales

Morales' body (6-foot-4, 185 pounds), athleticism and arm speed are perfect for a 20-year-old pitching prospect. Those traits were what made the Venezuelan righty such a prized commodity in the July 2, 2016 international signing class. He pumps easy mid-90s gas, touching 97 mph, while sitting hitters down with a 70-grade slider. On these traits alone, he could have a successful career pitching at the back of a big-league bullpen. For him to be a starter, he will have to improve his command, consistency and third pitch -- his changeup is bad enough that he may end up scrapping it for something else that can keep hitters off balance. When Morales was on, he was borderline unhittable. However, his command came and went from start to start, and he had a handful of non-competitive outings in his full-season debut. He is a dynasty-league lottery ticket who could retain 5x5 value even if he moves to the bullpen.

For a 6-foot-4, 18-year-old hurler with electric stuff pitching in the New York-Penn League, which is heavily populated with college draftees, not all statistics matter. In fact, all that really matters is the sharpness of the stuff and a clean bill of health at the end of the year. Morales gets a check in both boxes. He stayed on turn for his 13 starts and notched a 26.4 K% -- the second-best mark by a teenager in the NYPL. His fastball, which he gets great extension on, continues to trend as a future 80-grade weapon. It sat at 93-96 mph and touched 98 mph, and given his size, the expectation is that the pitch will touch triple digits by the time he reaches the big leagues. He also has a plus slider and his changeup is ahead of schedule. He often struggled to throw strikes (12.8 BB%), but that should not come as a surprise, given his size, age and stuff. If his command improves in his full-season debut, his stock will explode.

Morales has the perfect combination of extreme upside and muted hype, as he hasn't pitched in a full-season league and gets lost in the shuffle with Sixto Sanchez and Adonis Medina sucking up most of the Phillies pitching prospect praise. He received a $720,000 bonus as the top Venezuelan pitcher in the 2016 July 2 international signing class. Morales' realistic upside is up there with Sanchez, he just hasn't proved it at as high of a level. At 6-foot-4, 185 pounds, he has a much safer, projectable body than Sanchez, and his fastball, which already sits in the mid-90s, should be an absolute monster in a couple years. He can already spin a breaking ball that will flash plus, and while his changeup isn't a very useful pitch, that's something he has in common with almost every 18-year-old on the planet. His command needs work, but it's still ahead of schedule. Of the pitching prospects outside the top 100, Morales has as good a chance as anyone to finish the year as a top-50 prospect.

Morales was considered the top Venezuelan pitching prospect in the 2016 international free agent class. He has a plus fastball with the potential for a plus curveball down the road. A 6-foot-3, 186-pound righty, Morales could add velocity to his fastball, which already sits in the low-90s. He'll need to improve his pitchability, but that is true of all 16-year-old hurlers. While the upside is undeniable, Morales is so far away from contributing in the majors that he is best left alone in most dynasty formats for now.