Teodo didn't pitch much as a Dominican amateur and signed for just $10,000 in 2020, but he quickly made a name for himself by reaching 102 mph with his fastball during instructional league following his 2021 pro. He was named Arizona Fall League reliever of the year in 2023 and a year later became the first pitcher ever to work two perfect innings in a Futures Game. Seemingly poised to make his big league debut in 2025, he instead was stymied by a shoulder impingement that cost him half a season and he never looked like his best self.
The one constant for Teodo last year was that he still had a devastating upper-80s slider with downward break, a weapon that generated a 57 percent swing-and-miss rate. He throws one of the hardest sinkers in baseball, operating at 97-99 mph and touching 102, but it got hit hard when he didn't command it well. Though he doesn't use his upper-80s changeup much and it lacks consistency, it can be a plus pitch with fade and depth when it's on.
Compared to the late Yordano Ventura because of his small stature, big stuff and electric arm speed, Teodo never has provided regular strikes and walked 19 percent of the hitters he faced last season. He's athletic but his delivery features effort, and some scouts projected him as a reliever even while he was dominating as a Double-A starter in 2024. If he can stay healthy and have even fringy control, he has the arsenal to close games.
The Rangers found a pair of $10,000 pitching bargains in their 2019-20 international class, stealing both Winston Santos and Teodo out of the Dominican Republic. The latter didn't pitch much as an amateur but quickly opened eyes by pushing his fastball to 102 mph at the instructional league in the fall of 2021. He had his best season yet in 2024, logging a 1.98 ERA and 31 percent strikeout rate at Double-A and becoming the first hurler to spin two perfect innings in the Futures Game, making it a no-brainer for Texas to protect him on its 40-man roster in November.
Teodo has the filthiest stuff in the system and one of the hardest two-seamers in the game, a sinker that somehow sits at 97-99 mph, climbs to 102 and is fairly impossible to lift. His tight upper-80s slider is even more devastating, breaking straight down and generating a 58 percent swing-and-miss rate in 2024. His changeup is his worst offering and still grades as plus, operating in the upper 80s with fade and depth.
Likened to the late Yordano Ventura because of his small frame, electric arsenal and lightning-fast arm speed, Teodo still has yet to harness his stuff. He's athletic but his delivery has some effort to it, so he never has provided regular strikes and his walk rate rose to a career-worst 14 percent even while he dominated last year. He has the pitches to front a rotation, but his control may land him in the bullpen, where he would have obvious closer potential.
The best prospect from the Rangers' 2019-20 international class was relatively ancient at nearly 19 years old and signed for just $10,000 out of the Dominican Republic. Teodo had limited pitching experience as an amateur but created instant buzz when he came to the United States for his 2021 pro debut and even more when his fastball touched 102 mph during the instructional league that fall. He missed most of the first two months last year with a forearm strain, then averaged 12.3 strikeouts per nine innings primarily as a starter for the second straight season before earning Arizona Fall League Reliever of the Year honors.
Teodo has electric arm speed that generates four-seam fastballs that sit at 95-98 and reach 103 mph, but they tended to flatten out at higher velocities, so at midseason last year he switched to a two-seamer with similar heat and plenty of sink. He has more trust in his mid-80s breaking ball, which combines curveball depth with slider power and approaches 3,000 rpm at times. He can miss some bats with an 88-92 mph changeup with splitter action but doesn't have faith in it and doesn't land it for strikes.
Compared to the late Yordano Ventura because of his smaller frame and power stuff, Teodo is athletic but lacks physicality and has significant effort in his delivery. He did throw more strikes after switching to a sinker, and even more while coming out of the bullpen in the AFL, but he has yet to prove he has more than below-average control. The Rangers considered expediting him to the big leagues as a reliever in 2024 before continuing to develop him as a starter, and he has looked like a potential mid-rotation option a year or two from now.
Though the Rangers spent $3.9 million on Dominican outfielder Bayron Lora and $1.65 million on Venezuelan shortstop Maximo Acosta in their 2019-20 international class, the best prospect from that crop is Teodo, who signed for $10,000 at the relatively advanced age of 18 years and 11 months. The Dominican right-hander began to open eyes when he came to the United States for his 2021 pro debut, then drew more attention by pushing his fastball to 102 mph during instructional league. He continued to light up radar guns in Single-A last year while striking out 115 in 84 1/3 innings.
Compared to the late Yordano Ventura because of his smaller frame and nasty stuff, Teodo has electric arm speed that produces fastballs that park at 95-98 mph and reach 103 with late hop and carry, though they can flatten out at times. He spins his power breaking ball at 3,000 rpm, combining downer curveball break with slider velocity (mid-80s with a peak of 90 mph). While he can miss bats with a 88-92 mph changeup with splitter action, he doesn't trust it and has trouble landing it for strikes.
Control and command are issues for Teodo, who can lose feel for his fastball and averaged 4.9 walks per nine innings in his first two pro seasons. He's athletic but isn't physical and features a lot of effort in his delivery. He may never locate his pitches well enough to fit in a big league rotation, but he does have closer upside if he shifts to the bullpen.
Teodo turned pro for just $10,000 out of the Dominican Republic in January 2020 and remained anonymous until he made his pro debut last summer in the Rookie-level Arizona Complex League. He struck out 48 in 29 1/3 innings while showcasing a blazing fastball that reached 102 mph in front of a larger audience during instructional league in the fall. His small frame and high-octane stuff have prompted comparisons to the late Yordano Ventura.
Teodo's fastball sits at 95-98 mph and regularly touches triple digits in his starts, and its late hop and carry make it difficult to barrel. He also can spin his low-80s curveball at nearly 3,000 rpm and miss bats with an 88- to 92-mph changeup that flashes impressive fade. Both have the potential to become plus offerings with added consistency.
Because Teodo stands just 6-foot-1 and has a lot of effort in his delivery, he comes with a lot of reliever risk. While he regularly scattered pitches early in his career, he did make some progress with his control and command when the Rangers made him a full-time starter in June. He has closer upside if he winds up in the bullpen, though he'll need to prove he can locate his pitches before being trusted in high-leverage situations.
How this works:
This section shows two different ways to evaluate pitch movement.
On the left, “Total Movement” shows the real-world movement of a pitch, including the forces of gravity, which affects every pitch thrown.
Since gravity requires time, and slower pitches aren't 'better' just because they have more time to move, a pitch's movement is compared to other pitches of the same pitch type, within +/- 2 MPH and +/- 0.5 feet of extension/release.
On the right, Induced Movement (or IVB) is reported without gravity, and attempts to isolate movement created by the pitcher's ability to spin and manipulate the ball.
These run values are leveraged, meaning the base/out situation at the time of the event does impact the run value (thus introducing context outside the batter's own contribution).
! Note: Shifts are through the 2022 season, Shaded starting from the 2023 season, Shift:
three or more infielders are on the same side of second base, Shade: positioned outside of
their typical responsible slices of the field. Learn more about
how positioning is defined here
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