Ryan Fernandez   Pitcher

       
 
Born: June 11, 1998
Birthplace: Tampa, FL
Height: 6-0
Weight: 170
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
   
Drafted: 23rd round, 2018 by BOS
How Acquired: Draft
College: Hillsborough CC
High School: Alonso (FL)
   

Photo © Kelly O'Connor
Ryan Fernandez photos by Kelly O'Connor
Pronunciation: -
First Pro Contract: June 21, 2018 (BOS)
Signing Scout: Stephen Hargett
Signing Bonus: $125,000
   
Pro Debut: June 30, 2018 (GCL)
MLB Debut: April 3, 2024 (STL)
   
Twitter: -
Instagram: @ryan_fernandeez

Selected by St. Louis in the Rule 5 Draft (Dec. 2023)
 
 
 
 
 
     
  Scouting Report & Links      
         
  Physical Description: Average frame, minimal remaining projection.

Mechanics: Throws from a high three-quarters arm slot from the third base side of the rubber. Jerky, stiff delivery. High leg kick, stays vertical. Shorter arm action with a stab behind. Stays on-line to the plate. Quick arm.

Fastball: 95-97 mph. Tops out at 99 mph. Velocity increased in 2022 from 92-95 mph into the high-90s. Fringy command and control profile. Pitch shows life and bat-missing ability. Flattens at higher velocities. Also will show a sinker down in the zone on occasion. Potential plus pitch.

Cutter: 90-93 mph. High spin rate with strong pitch characteristics. Shows strong bat-missing ability both in and out of the zone. Got increasingly more confident with it as the 2023 season progressed to the point where in some outings he would pitch off of it. Potential plus offering.

Slider: 85-88 mph. Gyro slider. High spin rate. Looks similar to his cutter at first, but comes in slower with more break. Fringe-average potential.

Curveball: 80-84 mph. Short, vertical break. Very quick downward action. Struggles to land in the zone for strikes. Below-average potential. Did not use in 2022 and rarely threw in 2023.
  Changeup: 83-85 mph. Firm, inconsistent. Will flash vertical drop on occasion. Below-average potential. Did not use in 2022 or 2023.

Career Notes: Not a draft target out of high school, ended up at Hillsborough CC in Tampa. Selected in the 23rd round, had no reported college commitment. Pitched just once after July 30 in 2022 due to right elbow inflammation. Participated in 2023 Rookie Development Program. Began the 2023 season on the IL with the same injury, missing two weeks before beginning a one-week rehab assignment. Was not added to the 40-man roster to protect him from selection in the Rule 5 Draft in 2022 or 2023 despite being a potential selection. Selected by St. Louis in the 2023 Rule 5 Draft.

Summation: Potential middle reliever. Ceiling of a solid seventh-inning arm. Fastball and cutter compliment each other very well. Stuff is very impressive, but needs to show consistency with it from outing to outing over an entire season. Has multiple pitches that can miss bats. Long track record of injuries clouds future projection, as he is on the smaller side physically and has to use a lot of effort on every pitch.

Links
Scouting Report Update (3.10.2022)
 
   
     
    Pitching Stats                                          
  year team lg level org age w l era g gs sv ip h r er hr hbp bb so whip k/9 bb/9
2018 Hillsborough CC SC NJCAA -- 20 8 2 4.56 17 9 0 81.0 85 46 41 9 0 26 82 1.37 9.11 2.89
  2018 GCL Red Sox GCL Rk Bos 20 1 1 3.46 10 7 0 26.0 28 10 10 3 0 6 31 1.31 10.73 2.08
  2019 Lowell Spinners NYPL A- Bos 21 4 1 2.49 17 1 4 43.1 30 15 12 2 0 11 38 0.95 7.89 2.28
  2020 Season Cancelled --- --- --- 22 --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
  2021 Salem Red Sox Car A Bos 23 3 1 1.50 17 0 2 36.0 33 10 6 0 0 9 42 1.17 10.50 2.25
  2021 Greenville Drive SAL A+ Bos 23 1 0 4.32 7 0 0 16.2 13 8 8 3 2 5 18 1.08 9.72 2.70
  2022 Greenville Drive SAL A+ Bos 24 1 2 4.00 25 0 7 27.0 28 13 12 3 0 9 40 1.37 13.33 3.00
  2022 Portland Sea Dogs East AA Bos 24 1 1 4.97 19 0 3 12.2 12 9 7 3 0 2 16 1.11 11.37 1.42
  2023 Salem Red Sox Car A Bos 25 1 0 0.00 2 0 0 3.1 1 0 0 0 0 0 6 0.30 16.20 0.00
  2023 Portland Sea Dogs East AA Bos 25 2 1 1.77 14 0 1 20.1 14 5 4 1 0 8 26 1.08 11.51 3.54
  2023 Worcester Red Sox IL AAA Bos 25 3 3 6.16 26 0 0 30.2 38 23 21 7 0 10 35 1.57 10.27 2.93
  2024 St. Louis Cardinals NL MLB StL 26 1 6 3.51 62 0 2 66.2 58 30 26 4 2 32 71 1.35 9.6 4.3
   
     
  Advanced Stats & Splits
   
     
  Awards   SoxProspects.com Awards  
  Red Sox Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Month (June 2022)   2023 SoxProspects.com Pre-Season All-Star   
   

   
     
 
 
 
     
 
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