Prospect Profile: Jonathan Loaisiga
The Nicaraguan native had, by far, his best season of his injury-riddled career in 2018. Drafted by the Giants in 2012, he missed a lot of time with injuries, leading to his release in May 2015. After seeing Loaisiga throw 94-95 mph, the Yankees decided to take a chance on him, signing the pitcher in February 2016. Unfortunately, after just one start Loaisiga injured his elbow and underwent Tommy John surgery.
Name: Jonathan Loaisiga Birthdate: November 2, 1994 Position: Pitcher Bat/Throw: R/R Height: 5’11 Weight: 165
Loaisiga started his latest comeback on June 21, 2017 in the Gulf Coast League. He made appearances for both the East and West Yankees teams before eventually been promoted to Staten Island. He went 1-0 with a 0.53 ERA in four starts (a total of seventeen innings). He struck out eighteen and walked only one.
While 2017 showed positive movement by the oft injured hurler, 2018 gave him (and the Yankees) a lot to be excited about. Loaisiga started the season in Tampa, where he went 3-0 with a 1.35 ERA over four starts. He spent the bulk of the season with Trenton, going 3-1 with a 3.93 ERA over nine starts and fourteen appearances. He struck out 40 batters.
On June 15, Loaisiga made his major league debut. He went five innings against Tampa Bay, picking up the victory after allowing only three hits and four walks. During 2018, Loaisgia made nine appearances for the Yankees. He collected 33 Ks in 24.2 innings and had a 5.11 ERA. He tended to thrive more during his four starts, however, struggling more when he came in from the bullpen. As a starter, Loaisiga held opposing hitters to a .227/.311/.333 slash line, but as a reliever it went up to .366/.441/.667. His starting ERA was an impressive 3.00, which balloon to 10.80 when he came out of the pen.
Loaisiga is on he small side, at 5’11 and only 165 pounds. Despite this, he throws pretty hard. His fastball averages about 96 mph and he can hit 98. It has some late life to it and is viewed as a plus pitch. He has both a mid-80s changeup and curveball, which are both solid pitches with good movement.
While Loaisiga has some strong pitches, his approach on the mound is equally impressive. He goes after the strike zone, minimizing walks and picking up plenty of Ks. He is also the type of pitcher who has the ability to quickly put a hit or walk behind him and turn his focus to the next batter.
It is likely that Loaisiga will start the year in Scranton, as he has yet to make any appearances for the Yankees’ Triple-A club. Assuming he can stay healthy – and that is always going to be a question for him until his is able to put together a season or two of at least 100 innings – he will certainly be making some appearances in the Bronx.
