Luis Gil is one of the few Yankees prospects who was not originally drafted or signed by the Yankees. He came over in the Jake Cave deal of 2018 and has shown success on the field during his time in the Yankees organization. He could be a mid-rotation starter with a solid 3 pitch repertoire, or as solid reliver with a fastball that sits in the high-90s as his dominant pitch. I hold out hope he’ll find his way as a starter, though he’ll need to find the strike-zone more if he wants that future as well.
LUIS GIL, RHP (#5):
Age/Date of Birth: 22 Years Old (06/03/1998)
Most Recent Team(s) (Level and Year): Somerset Patriots (Class-AA, 2021), Tampa Tarpons (Class-A+, 2019) Charleston RiveDogs (Class-A, 2019)
Most Recent Yearly Statistics (2019): 5-5 Record, 2.72 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, 96.0 Innings, 123 Strikeouts, 47 Walks, (20 Games, 20 Games Started)
Bats/Throws: Right/Right
Height/Weight: 6’2”/185 Pounds
Acquired: Signed by the Minnesota Twins as part of the 2014/2015 International Free Agent Class in mid-February 2015.
MLB ETA: 2022
LUIS GIL SCOUTING GRADES (20-80 SCALE):
Fastball: 75
Slider: 55
Changeup: 50
Control: 45
Overall: 50
What to Know:
Coming out of the Dominican Republic, Luis Gil was not a huge as an international prospect as the Minnesota Twins signed him with a $90,000 bonus in mid-February of 2015. And, because they signed him late into the cycle Gil was able to play in the 2015 season for the DSL Twins (Foreign Rookie). Gil would pitch in 16 games and 23.1 innings (starting none, while collecting 2 saves) while finishing with a 4.63 ERA.
Unfortunately, Gil would miss the entirely of the 2016 season after getting shoulder surgery and have to repeat a season in the DSL in 2017. However, Gil was then used as a starting pitcher, starting all 14 games he pitched in while showing good improvements with a 2.59 ERA over 41.2 innings of work.
2018 would bring a lot of change for Gil as he was traded to the New York Yankees in the spring (for OF Jake Cave). This season would also bring about Gil’s promotion to professional ball in the United States, starting the year with the Pulaski Yankees (Rookie, Appalachian League) where he would start 10 games around a 1.37 ERA. This earned Gil a late-season promotion to the Staten Island Yankees (Class-A Short Season, New-York Penn League) for his final 2 starts.
In 2019 Gil was moved up again, this time to the Charleston RiverDogs (Class-A, South Atlantic) where he again would show positive development with a 2.39 ERA over 17 starts. Again the Yankees would give him a late season promotion to test his skills, this time to the Tampa Tarpons (Class-A+, Florida State) for his final 3 games of the season.
In 2020, Gil spent the season at the Yankees alternate site, though he did not make any appearances with the Major League club. Though he would get some in-game time over the winter in the Dominican Winter League with the Tigres del Licey, though it was just 5.2 innings of work over 1 start and 1 relief appearance.
As of now in 2021, Gil has been assigned to the Somerset Patriots (Class-AA, Northeast) where he has started 3 games, pitched 10.2 innings, and has a 2.53 ERA.
Luis Gil has a three pitch repertoire with one dominant, one great, and one average pitch. His dominant pitch is his fastball which sits in the high-90s (can reach triple-digits) and holds consistent even over multiple innings. Gil has also been improving his slider that sits in the mid-80s, though there are times it plays more like a curveball. His final pitch is a low-90s changeup that plays like a sinker, though Gil has yet to show consistency with the pitch.
Though Gil has top of the line velocity, he does have work that still needs to be done. It’s clear that his delivery requires effort in order to unlock the level that his stuff can play at, which leads him to control issues at times. He has upside as a starter if he can become more consistent, though his floor is as a solid back-end reliever/closer type.
What Will the Future Hold?
.Luis Gil has the makings of a solid rotation piece and the Yankees are going to hold out hope on him reaching that potential for as long as possible. He’s had a crazy development, missing 2 years of in-game work in 2016 and 2020, though after getting to the Yankees they’ve been methodical in his promotions. It’s likely he’ll spend the season where he is currently assigned at Somerset (Class Double-A), though he could see a late season promotion to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (Class Triple-A).
With an MLB ETA of 2022, I’d say it’s definitely in the cards, though (as with many prospects on a faster timeline) it should be expected as a reliever to gain some MLB experience without spending his rookie contract time. I like Gil and think that his on-the-field success should continue through the higher levels of the minors and should make him a viable rotation piece in the near-future for the Yankees. However, I don’t believe he has much front-of-the-rotation upside and will likely see a career performance similar to that of a #3 or #4 piece.
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