Luis Gil has quickly worked his way up the Yankees’ top prospect lists since arriving in the organization in early 2018. He is one of a exciting pitching prospects, but he likely still has a ways to go before he gets a chance in the Bronx.
Name: Luis Gil Birthdate: June 3, 1998 Position: Pitcher Bats/Throws: R/R Height: 6’3 Weight: 176
The Dominican native wasn’t signed right away during the 2014/2015 international signing period. It wasn’t until February 2015 that the Twins signed him for just $90,000. He made his professional debut in the Dominican Summer League that year, but underwent shoulder surgery and missed all of 2016.
When Gil returned to action in 2017, he seemed stronger. During his sixteen appearances (23.1 innings) in 2015, he had a 4.63 ERA and had 26 walks and only 24 strikeouts. When he came back, he returned to the Twins’ Dominican Summer League team and made fourteen starts (41.2 innings). His ERA dropped to 2.59 and he racked up 49 Ks to only 20 walks.
During the 2017/2018 off-season, the Yankees needed to make space on the roster and ended up trading Jake Cave to the Twins for Gil. The Yankees had him play most of the season with Pulaski in the Appalachian League. He made ten starts and had a 1.37 ERA with 58 Ks and 25 walks. He played a couple games with Staten Island, his first foray into a non-Rookie League.
This past season was Gil’s first full season of professional baseball. He spent most of the year with the Charleston RiverDogs, making 17 starts. His ERA was 2.39 and he struck out an impressive 112 batters, issuing just 39 walks. More impressive, he only allowed one home run. In fact, Gil has given up just seven homers over his 207 innings of professional baseball. He also made three starts for Tampa, where I would suspect he will start next season.
Gil is a big power arm that could truly be something special. His fastball scores at 70 and sits regularly between 94-98 mph, though he can hit 101 mph. he blows his fastball by hitters and can maintain his velocity deep into a game. He also has a strong power curve with great spin. Gil has added a changeup, but it is very much a work in progress.
Gil’s main problem is his lack of control. He has certainly made strides, as illustrated by his lowered walk rate. The Yankees seem to be taking their time to develop him and give him a chance to work on his consistency. If he can get his changeup working for him, Gil could be an exciting starter, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see his powerful arm coming out of the bullpen and getting some big outs.
