though he’s pitching in the Fall Instructional League (according to RedsMinorLeagues.com). This guy watched him pitch in the Olympics and said that he had a “down right nasty change up at times.” Baseball Reference Bullpen says, “Sulbaran throws a changeup, curveball and fastball (which has peaked at 94 mph).”

He’s only 19, so I would guess that he’s a few years away, and given how rarely a pitching prospect that young turns into something special, I wouldn’t waste a roster spot on him in your league. You’ll still be able to pick him later on, and I doubt too many people have their eye on him at this point.

I have had conversations with his high school coach as well as his father. They both may be slightly biased, but the Reds certainly liked him enough to pay him big time money. He was on the Olympic team for the Netherlands and faced Cuba (world power) in a pre Olympic game and he struck out 6 batters in that game. He however did walk 7 batters in the same game. He has good stuff and I think his velocity can get more consistently into the mid 90’s, because his mechanics, while clean, don’t seem to utilize his legs as much as I would think he should.

As far as your questions go:

1. He has three like Slyde noted.
2. He has ace type potential, but he is far away from there right now. He has the right body and two potential plus pitches.
3. At the earliest I would expect him to be in the majors in 4 or 5 years. Counting on any high school pitcher before then is usually a foolish idea.
4. He should be off the radar for a while. I wouldn’t expect him in full season ball until 2010 just because he didn’t pitch this year much, so I know that even I won’t be picking him up yet and I am probably the biggest Reds minor league nerd around. Keep an eye on him of course, but there should be plenty of guys worth taking before him that should be available in your league.

He was thought to be highly unlikely to sign, especially having signed with the University of Florida. The Reds changed his mind with a $500,000 signing bonus. His three pitches project as above average and he throws with a nice downhill plane. His delivery is clean,he’s had no arm problems and is durable. Scouts report he has a good feel for his breaking pitches.

Sulbaran is from Curacao and has pitched well, for the most part, against international competition. While I don’t know that he was a first-round talent, he probably had second-round ability, at least. Baseball America ranked him the No. 48 prospect in Florida last season.

Sulbaran played at American Heritage HS, the mythical national champion. That team featured four players who were drafted — Sulbaran, KC first rounder Eric Hosmer, fifth rounder Adrian Nieto of the Nats and 50th rounder Joey Belviso by the Angels.

As Slyde and Doug adeptly mentioned, Sulbaran is quite a ways from the majors. If you have the patience to wait five years, he’s worth a shot in a deep, deep league.