Prospect Profile: Domingo Acevedo

Domingo Acevedo is a big, hard-throwing pitcher out of the Dominican that the Yankees managed to pick up for nearly nothing. Acevedo purportedly got a late start playing baseball and therefore he flew under the radar in the Dominican, leading to the Yankees signing him in October of 2012, making him eighteen and a half, much older than most top international prospects. He signed for a $7,500 bonus and then made his professional debut in 2013 in the Dominican Summer League.

Name: Domingo Acevedo Birthdate: March 6, 1994 Position: Pitcher Bats/Throws: R/R Height: 6’7” Weight: 250

Acevedo has been making his way through the Yankees’ system steadily, however, as is not a surprise with someone of his size, he has struggled to stay healthy. After his first season, he missed most of 2014 due to various arm issues, however, the Yankees sent him up to Charleston in 2015. Blisters, which seem to be a recurring problem for the big hurler, kept him off the field for a bit after just one game and he was reassigned to Staten Island where he put up some very impressive numbers. In 11 games he had a 1.69 ERA, striking out 53 batters in 48 innings and walking just fifteen.

2016 saw Acevedo put up some solid numbers over eighteen games split between Tampa and Charleston. He spent eight games with the Riverdogs and put up a 1.90 ERA, allowing just one homer and seven walks, while striking out 48. His ten games with Tampa were also impressive. In 2017, he had his healthiest season to date and threw 133 innings. Acevedo was even called up to Scranton. Acevedo spent the bulk of 2018 in Trenton, but once again missing a significant chunk of time with blister issues again.

Acevedo has an electric fastball that has hit 103mph, though he typically throws 93-97. He throws it for strikes and it is a true plus-plus pitch. His delivery and mechanics certainly need some fine-tuning, but it seems to work for him – at this point it is more of a question of whether it is sustainable.

When it comes to his secondary pitches, Acevedo has a solid changeup with good location. He uses it effectively against batters on both sides of the plate. He also has a slider that sits in the mid-80s. This has been his weakest pitch, but he appears to be getting more consistent with it. Overall, Acevedo would be an exciting starter, but if he can’t stick there he is sure to be a great option coming out of the bullpen with that fastball.