We continue our forty man friday series with Rangers pitcher Ricky Vanasco. The Rangers suprised many by putting Vanasco on the forty man this year and leaving off a few that we all thought would be on it. Thanks to Tommy John surgery, he has only pitched 83.1 innings in his pro career. He was a guest on the Texas Rangers Baseball Podcast with Jeff Wilson and John Moore, so if you haven’t listened I recommend it, even if it is our podcast.
Born in 1998, the 6′-4″ right hander is much anticipated. He may have one of the highest upsides of any prospect in the Rangers organization. He was nothing short of amazing before his surgery, with an ERA of 1.81 in two stops during the 2019 season. Also, in 49.2 innings he punched out 75 batters while walking 22.
If Vanasco can put his injury behind him and continue his dominance where ever he begins 2022, the Rangers may have a front line starter on their hands not named Cole Winn or Jack Leiter.
The Numbers
According to prospects live Ricky has a fastball around 94-97mph, a curveball in the low 80’s with the traditional 12-6 break, and a changeup in the high 80’s. His change plays well off his fastball while his curve has some mean break. I recommend seeing this guy in person if you can. While I am not sure he sees Arlington in 2022, I wouldn’t be that shocked if he did.
So the Rangers are stuck with a good problem going into the 2022 season. Too many good arms. We all know the names like Taylor Hearn, Winn, Leiter, Jake Latz and more. As a Rangers fan, I wouldn’t sleep on Ricky Vanasco. You will be hearing that name in excess in the next few seasons. That is a guarentee.
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