Phils excited about prospects Cordero, Tirado
Hard-throwing righties were acquired from Toronto in the Ben Revere trade
PHILADELPHIA -- Ken Giles is not the only pitcher in the Phillies' organization that can hit 100 mph with his fastball.
The Phillies on Friday acquired two hard-throwing Minor League pitchers from the Toronto Blue Jays for outfielder Ben Revere: right-handers Jimmy Cordero and Alberto Tirado. Cordero's fastball has hit 102 mph. Tirado's fastball has hit 98.
"Very big arms," Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said Sunday morning at Citizens Bank Park. "Both were playing in [Class A Advanced] Dunedin this season, so we've seen them a lot."
Both are relief pitchers, but the Phillies are considering moving Tirado back into the rotation next season.
Cordero, 23, went a combined 0-1 with a 2.70 ERA in 50 innings with Dunedin and Double-A New Hampshire. Tirado, 20, posted a 3.23 ERA in 61 1/3 innings with Dunedin. Opponents hit .213 against him, while he averaged 8.95 strikeouts per nine innings.
The Blue Jays moved Tirado, who was the ninth-best prospect in Toronto's system according to MLBPipeline.com, from the rotation to the bullpen because they figured it would be his quickest path to the big leagues. But because the Phillies are in a rebuilding process, they can afford to be a little more patient with their pitchers.
"He's a young kid," Amaro said about Tirado. "He's got the makings of three-plus pitches, so we may push him back next year and get him stretched out to see what he can do in the rotation. Cordero, he fires. He needs a little work on his secondary pitches, but he's got a natural cut to his fastball. He throws a 96-102 mph cutter. So if he gets some command and gets a secondary pitch consistently he could help."