The Cincinnati Reds made an intriguing move this week by signing 24-year-old right-handed reliever Irvin Machuca from Mexico to a minor league contract. Machuca has exclusively played in his home country, competing in the Mexican League during the summer and the Mexican Pacific League in the winter.
Machuca debuted professionally at 19 with Campeche in the Mexican League, where he pitched 37.2 innings across 36 games, posting a 4.54 ERA. While that number might not stand out initially, it’s worth noting that the league’s average ERA was 5.79, and his team’s ERA was 6.26. The league also skews older, with an average pitcher age of 29.5. That same year, he played winter ball for Los Mochis, making 31 appearances and recording a 3.96 ERA, slightly above the league average of 3.60.
Since then, Machuca has continued to split time between Campeche and Los Mochis, missing the 2021 season but steadily improving. Over the last two winters, he’s been dominant in the Mexican Pacific League, compiling a 1.15 ERA over 55 innings with 64 strikeouts and just 18 walks.
The Mexican leagues are not at MLB level but are considered competitive, likely comparable to Double-A in terms of quality. While translating his performance directly to the majors is challenging, scouting offers insights into his potential.
Video analysis of Machuca’s recent outings reveals some key strengths and areas for growth:
- Fastball: A standout pitch, consistently clocking 94-97 mph with excellent movement on both planes.
- Slider: A mid-80s pitch with sharp 12-6 action, but inconsistent control. In a small sample of four games, 12 of the 23 sliders he threw missed the zone.
While his overall strike percentage in those outings was 62%, lower than expected given his recent winter stats (seven walks in 106 batters faced), this may have been a temporary rough patch. Despite these control issues, he still struck out seven and didn’t issue any walks in those appearances.
Machuca isn’t likely to contend for a major league roster spot this spring, but his fastball velocity and movement, along with a promising slider, give him big-league potential. Improving his slider control and overall command will be key to transitioning his success in Mexico to higher levels of competition.
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