Future Watch: Jose Taveras Rookie Baseball Cards, Phillies – Jose Taveras signed the Dominican free agent pitcher last summer. The Phillies not only signed him, they had him go to their Dominican Baseball Academy where he would get a place to sleep and continue a high school education until he graduated.
Taveras, 23, has thrown 77 games in the minor leagues. After 433 innings, he has posted a highly respectable 2.59 ERA. His WHIP is also impressive at 1.05 and he has 419 strikeouts. All good signs for one of their top pitching prospects.
Phillies fans may see Taveras in September if he keeps mowing them down in AAA for the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs. In his first six games, he went 2-1 with a 1.54 ERA. He managed an impressive 33 strikeouts in 35 innings with a 1.11 WHIP. The fact that he’s only given up 24 hits may be the biggest reason he could see a promotion.
He’s gone from Clearwater to Reading to Lehigh all during one season. At 6′-4″, 210 pounds this big man could be a difference maker. Baseball America had him ranked as their 16th best prospect after the 2016 season. Even though he only has a low 90’s fastball he seems to have the other tools to pitch his way out of trouble.
Here’s a look at him making the opposition swing and miss:
Currently, Jose Taveras’ only certified autographed card is his Chrome Prospects Autograph from 2017 Bowman Baseball.
In his last start in AAA he pitched six innings giving up just five hits, no runs while striking out seven. The start before that he struck out nine batters. If Taveras finishes out the season in Lehigh Valley it’s because the Phillies want him to get a certain amount of AAA games in before they give him a chance to make the big club next season.
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