Texas Rangers Prospects: Hard-throwing righty a “spin-rate monster”

In the age of Statcast, this Texas Rangers right-hander is opening eyes with his performance and incredible breaking ball.

The Texas Rangers farm system is full of hard-throwing right-handed pitchers, including Cole Uvila.

Cole Uvila was deployed as a starter and reliever at Georgia Gwinnett College, but was used primarily as a reliever during his last season in 2016.

Uvila posted a 0.90 ERA during the 2016 season for Georgia Gwinnett, only allowing two earned runs off of two homers in 20 innings pitched.

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The Texas Rangers would select Uvila in the 40th round of the 2018 MLB Draft and promptly send him to Low-A Spokane to begin his minor-league journey.

Uvila’s presence would be felt immediately in the Spokane bullpen, posting incredible numbers for his first year in pro-ball.

The 24-year old posted a 1.42 ERA, allowing one home run on 13 hits and 15 walks over 31.2 innings pitched. Uvila also struck out 48 batters at the Low-A level.

His early success led to a quick promotion during the 2019 season, spending time at Hickory and a bulk of the season at Down East.

Cole Uvila has one of the best spin rates in the Texas Rangers’ system.

Uvila made 35 total appearances between the two levels, sporting a 2.23 ERA over 57.2 innings, while striking out 85 and walking 33.

The Texas Rangers wanted to give Uvila an extended look and sent him to the Arizona Fall League following the 2019 season.

During his stint with the Surprise Saguaros, he racked up 16 strikeouts over 10.2 innings, but all came off of the 12-6 curve, thus giving him the nickname the “Spin-Rate Monster.”

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Uvila’s best curve registered at 3,340 RPM, ranking him in the top 0.2% of all major league curveballs thrown in 2019.

New Boston Red Sox starter Garrett Richards was the only pitcher to average a higher spin-rate on his curveball than Uvila, for major league comparison and context purposes.

If Cole Uvila continues to have this kind of success, he could fast track to the major leagues and be a crucial part of the Texas Rangers bullpen.

Assuming the minor leagues have full seasons in 2021, Cole Uvila could begin the year in Double-A Frisco and make his way to Arlington by the end of the year.