Back in 2001, the Rockies signed a young Dominican pitcher named Ubaldo Jiménez who made his United States debut in the Rookie-level Pioneer League. There are some in the Rockies' front office who are as excited about Olivarez and his upside as they were about Jiménez nearly two decades ago, with the young lefty following a similar path as the club hero.
Olivarez has the chance to have three above-average to plus pitches when all is said and done. The left-hander is still growing and might be at least 6-foot-3 and just over 200 pounds by now. He’s going to keep adding strength, meaning there’s more to come with a fastball that’s already easily sitting 93-95 mph and jumps out of his hand. He’s still working on refining his secondary stuff, but he has very good feel to spin his breaking ball, which flashes plus, and there’s good action at times on his changeup.
The projectable southpaw has struggled with his control and command, and lost feel for the zone at some points in 2019. But he did well to make adjustments, and there’s confidence with his delivery that he’ll throw more than enough strikes. He gets high marks for his intelligence and willingness to learn, which only enhances the chances of him reaching his very high ceiling.
