Richard Gallardo

ANALYSIS
He is not the consensus top pitching prospect in this July 2 international signing class, as Baseball America prefers Cuban righty Osiel Rodriguez, but both MLB.com and Baseball America ranked Gallardo as a top-six prospect in the class. A 6-foot-1, 187-pound righty from Venezuela, Gallardo is not done growing, yet his fastball already sits in the low-90s with late life. As he matures, his heater could be a monster pitch down the road, especially since he projects to have at least above-average control. Gallardo also features a curveball that will flash plus and a changeup that could develop into a third quality pitch. He has frontline upside, but won't pitch in a full-season league until 2020 at the earliest.