Paulo Orlando and Johnny Lujan

[South Side Fireworks Man]

Can any of you who follow the minor leagues closely give us a rundown on the progress of outfielder Paulo Orlando? I was really impressed with his speed in ST last year and was wondering if this kid has what it takes to be a major league hitter some day or is he just a one trick pony? Also, how is he defensively and how strong is his arm? When can we expect him to be ready for the majors if ever?

 

Also, does the pitcher the Sox got for Stewart, Johnny Lujan look like he was worth it? Can he be expected to have a shot at the Sox pen some time this year or does he appear to be another hard throwing bust?

 

Thanks for any info.

[Heads22]

Can any of you who follow the minor leagues closely give us a rundown on the progress of outfielder Paulo Orlando? I was really impressed with his speed in ST last year and was wondering if this kid has what it takes to be a major league hitter some day or is he just a one trick pony? Also, how is he defensively and how strong is his arm? When can we expect him to be ready for the majors if ever?

 

Also, does the pitcher the Sox got for Stewart, Johnny Lujan look like he was worth it? Can he be expected to have a shot at the Sox pen some time this year or does he appear to be another hard throwing bust?

 

Thanks for any info.

 

Neither is anywhere close to the majors. File 'em away in your head and see if they can't put up nice numbers in the low minors this year.

[bighurt4life]

3) Johnny Lujan: “The Epiphany”

 

Coming out of New Mexico Junior College in 2004, Lujan was among the national JUCO leaders with a sub-1.00 ERA before his final outing and finished 11-2, 1.61 with 103 strikeouts in 78 innings. There was a consistent theme in all of the reports on Lujan coming out of NMJC as the Rangers picked him in the 15th round: talented, but very unrefined. The MLB scouting report on Lujan called him “very raw; just a thrower now.” Baseball America noted that he had “so-so command.”

 

The Core Numbers: 4-4 with a 2.80 ERA for Low-A Clinton; fanning 56 and walking 27 in 64.;1 innings.

 

The Misunderstanding: Big deal. A nice season, but nothing special there.

 

The Story Behind the Core Numbers: Lujan’s 2005 season at Low-A Clinton was good but far from dominant...until August rolled around. The Waco native went on a dominant run down the stretch, posting a 0.44 ERA with 19 strikeouts in 20 innings while holding the Midwest League to a .143 average during the final full month of the season. Over the winter, Lujan virtually erased any notion that his huge August was just a fluke. He went off to the Puerto Rico Winter League where he exploded, tossing 20 scoreless innings while holding the league to a miserable .131 average.

 

That’s right: 20 innings, no runs. None. And his fastball sat at 97 mph.

 

When guys like Lujan–with big raw arms but not much of an idea of what to do with them–start to figure it all out, they can explode. We saw it two years ago with Frankie Francisco who, in spite of a 98 mph fastball and wicked exploding slider, posted a 6.34 ERA in 72.1 Double-A innings before suddenly figuring it all out and putting together a 3.33 ERA in 55 big league innings, playing a key roll in the Rangers surprising 2004 campaign.

 

There’s never really been any doubt about Lujan’s essential talent. The question about Lujan was, and is, whether he can harness his excellent stuff and learn to control the strike zone. As Lujan continues to refine his approach and improve his control, his extraordinary stuff and deceptive delivery should allow him to go all the way and perhaps, just perhaps, become a significant member of the Texas Rangers staff.

 

The Lesson: When the moment of clarity comes to an extremely talented but raw prospect, his ascent can be breathtaking and it appears that the breakthrough has happened for the Waco Kid. John Lombardo, the Rangers director of minor league operations credits Lujan for “[working] very hard, refining his craft under the guidance of Rick Adair and the rest of our development staff and we are certainly starting to see the fruits of this labor. This should only continue through 2006. A lot of credit needs to go to our Scouting staff for recognizing this raw ability and what could be made of it."

 

this came from a rangers team reporter/blogger rangers farm report

 

about 1 1/2 years old but still sounds like an interesting prospect, hopefully the change in organizations didn't set him back too much changing coaches and all

[bighurt4life]

Just looking at his stats from W-S high a ball last year looks like we're grooming him to be a closer. He's got a k/9 rate of almost 10 with low walk totals. But he did throw 7 wild pitches and gave up 7 HR's in 80 ip so there's definitely some wildness, he's also 23 already so hopefully they start him at AA next year. He's been in A+ for 2 full seasons now, time for him to sink or swim