Your New Favorite Cincinnati Red: Raisel Iglesias

2015 may not have been the best year for the Cincinnati Reds, and 2016 might be a difficult year as well, but there is a lot to like about the Reds’ future. The Reds were named by MLB.com as having one of the top five most improved farm systems in baseball; which means the future is very bright in Cincinnati. And one of those bright young stars is the right-handed starting pitcher, Raisel Iglesias.

Iglesias made his rookie debut with the Reds last April, starting against the St. Louis Cardinals, and going a respectable five innings while giving up three runs.  In that game, Iglesias fanned four Cardinals en route to earning a no decision. In 2015, Iglesias would split time between the major league club and the Triple-A Louisville Bats. With the Reds, Iglesias would finish the year with a 4.15 ERA, a 1.143 WHIP, a 3.55 FIP and a 3.71 SO/BB ratio. With the Bats, Iglesias did better, finishing 2015 with a nice 3.41 ERA and a 1.172 WHIP.  But the road to Major League Baseball was very difficult for Iglesias, and it started in communist Cuba.

Before becoming a starter for the Reds, Iglesias was a pitcher for the Cuban national team in the 2013 World Baseball Classic and the 2013 World Port Tournament in the Netherlands. In those tournaments, Iglesias caught the attention of major league scouts, including Team USA coach Jim Schlossnagle, who said, “I think he’s a guy that, as he gets bigger and stronger, could be in the mid-to-upper 90s. He’s lean, has a ridiculously loose arm and pounded the strike zone. I was glad they didn’t pitch him more. He was the guy where you’re like, ‘Let’s find a way to get a lead before they get to this guy.”

After pitching in the World Port Tournament, Iglesias attempted to defect from Cuba, but was caught and detained.  Two months later, Iglesias successfully defected from Cuba in his second attempt, and was later signed to a seven-year, $27 million contract with the Reds, after catching the eye of Reds scout, Mark Snipp, during an open tryout in Mexico in December.

Iglesias dominated the Arizona Fall League in 2014, while with the Surprise Saguaros (the Reds’ affiliate) in his first assignment with the organization.  He finished the season with a remarkable 0.00 ERA, in seven games and seven innings pitched, and only allowed one hit while striking out seven.

But the success Iglesias enjoyed in the AFL didn’t instantly translate to success in the majors. Iglesias struggled in the month of May, earning a 1-1 record and posting a 5.03 ERA in five starts and 19 2/3 innings. But Iglesias managed to turn things around late in the year when he hit his stride in August, when he earned a monthly ERA of 2.27 in six starts, all of which were quality starts. He also racked up 45 strikeouts in that month in 39.2 innings.

Iglesias certainly showed his potential at the end of the year, despite struggling with his consistency early on. In his final nine starts with the Reds in 2015, he put up a 3.13 ERA, a 0.90 WHIP and a 10.2 K/9 rate. Iglesias also has great movement on his pitches, which will likely be the key to his success moving forward.  His four-seam fastball has some rising action, his two-seam has some sink and his slider has a good amount of horizontal movement, all of which has to be very encouraging for the Reds.

Iglesias’ strong finish to the 2015 season after a rocky start showed his talent level, and perhaps the tip of his potential, and he will hopefully be a huge standout with the Reds in 2016 and beyond.