We've been having the debate here at Talking Chop, but it's interesting to see how the industry rates newly acquired Braves pitching prospect Arodys Vizcaino. Jim Callis at Baseball America has been busy on the issue and gives us this response in his weekly mailbag column:
Vizcaino would rank No. 3 on an updated Braves list, between first baseman Freddie Freeman and Teheran. Vizcaino is a rare Yankees prospect who hasn't been overhyped, mainly because he hasn't reached full-season ball yet. He dominated older hitters as an 18-year-old in the short-season New York-Penn League last summer, showing a 90-94 mph fastball and a nasty curveball. He can be a frontline starter if he can improve his changeup and command.
Teheran has a little more polish than Vizcaino, but his mechanics and durablility are more worrisome, so I give Vizcaino a slim edge. Delgado has similar velocity to Vizcaino, but his curveball and command aren't as good.
For the record, the collective Talking Chop poll ranked him fourth, which is probably understandable since most people are more familiar with Teheran, and he is a level ahead of Arodys (for now).
Third, fourth... it's a good problem to have.