San Francisco Giants: Midseason Top 30 Prospects (Nos. 30-21)

23. RHP Raffi Vizcaino

Age: 23
Current Level: Double-A
Acquired: IFA (2013)
Future Value: 35+

Vizcaino showed promise early in his career as a starter but stalled out last season at High-A. The San Francisco Giants front office decided to move him to the bullpen and early on, the results were magnificent.

In 16 innings at San Jose, he struck out 30 batters and quickly earned a call-up to Double-A. He’s continued to have success since the promotion, albeit to a lesser extent. In 25 innings for Richmond, Vizcaino has maintained a 2.52 ERA with 23 strikeouts and 12 walks.

Control is still an issue and his command will keep him from being a dominant back of the bullpen force if it doesn’t substantially improve. Still, he mixes a mid-90s fastball with an above-average changeup and solid curveball to keep hitters off-balance.

However, his stuff isn’t as overpowering as other pitchers in the system like Ray Black or Camilo Doval. He’ll need to make some improvements, but he could profile as a multi-inning reliever in the bullpen of the future.