Yohander Mendez

Before he got to Triple-A in 2016, Mendez looked like a potential mid-rotation starter. However, since then, he has looked more like a future middle reliever. The 23-year-old southpaw has struggled mightily in two brief MLB stints (seven strikeouts in 15.1 innings). The Rangers had an organizational philosophy shift last winter, opting to be more conservative with where they assigned pitching prospects. This led to Mendez, who some viewed as a dark horse candidate to join the big-league rotation early in the season, getting assigned back to Double-A, where he had logged 46.2 innings in 2016. Those who expected him to dominate and quickly receive a promotion to Triple-A were left waiting all season. He has above-average velocity for a lefty (93 mph), but none of his secondaries stand out and he really struggles to generate groundballs. Look for him to be assigned to Triple-A this year and possibly join the big-league rotation at some point. It would be unreasonable to hope for anything more than a back-end starter.

Mendez began the season at High-A High Desert but was so dominant throughout the year that he ended up parlaying his success into two relief appearances in the big leagues with the Rangers. He pitched mostly as a starter in the minors in 2016, posting a 113:41 K:BB in 111 innings across three levels. Mendez has a lively fastball with movement and saw a bit of an uptick in velocity. The 6-foot-5 lefty also has an excellent changeup and works best when he can locate down in the zone. There had been questions about his durability, role as a starter and development of a third pitch, but thus far he has proven up to the task. He'll have an outside shot at the starting rotation coming into spring training, but it is more likely that Mendez will return to Triple-A Round Rock and bide his time until needed.

Still probably three years away from contributing at the big league level, Mendez offers a lot to dream on. At 6-foot-4, 178 pounds, the Venezuelan southpaw has an extremely projectable body with a low-to-mid 90s fastball. He continues to be brought along slowly, but he was absolutely dominant in 66.1 innings at Low-A Hickory last season. After a brief, 31-inning taste of the South Atlantic League in 2014, Mendez returned with authority, posting a 27.5 percent K-rate and a 5.6 percent walk rate with a 2.44 ERA and 1.09 WHIP. His first 10 appearances were 1.2-to-3.0 inning looks out of the bullpen, so his overall numbers are slightly inflated. That said, he still posted a 2.94 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 32 strikeouts in 33.2 innings as a starter, completing five innings in four of those eight starts. There isn’t much buzz associated with Mendez, but he has the tools to finish 2016 as a top-100 prospect in dynasty leagues.