Phillies trade Pat Neshek to Rockies for three prospects

The long-rumored Pat Neshek trade finally happened last night, the Philadelphia Phillies shipping the veteran reliever to the Colorado Rockies for three prospects: infielder Jose Gomez and right-handed pitchers J.D Hammer and Alejandro Requena. Here’s a quick take on the three newest members of the Phillies farm system.

Jose Gomez, INF: The Rockies signed Jose Gomez out of Venezuela in 2013. He crushed the Pioneer League in 2016 (.367/.426/.468) and has remained very successful with Low-A Asheville in 2017 (.324/.374/.437).

Gomez is a 5-11, 175 pound right-handed hitter born December 10th, 1996. His best physical tool is speed but he’s shown surprising pop to this point in his career, particularly to the gaps, though he could stand to close up the strike zone a bit more. His arm fits best at second base although he’s spent considerable time at both shortstop and third base without embarrassing himself. I think he’s a solid prospect.

J.D. Hammer, RHP: Hammer was drafted in the 24th round in 2016 from Marshall University. He opened 2017 with Low-A Asheville, posting a 1.20 ERA in 30 innings with a spectacular 47/5 K/BB. Promoted to High-A Modesto on June 22nd, he has a 5.25 ERA in 12 innings with an 18/9 K/BB. He’s combined for 13 saves in 14 attempts at the two levels.

Hammer is listed at 6-3, 215, born July 12th, 1994. He can hit the mid-90s and has posted very high strikeout rates in A-ball, although his command slipped some in the California League. He projects as a middle reliever.

Alejandro Requena, RHP: The Rockies signed Requena out of Venezuela in 2013. Scouting information on Requena is sparse but he’s having a fine year in Low-A, posting a 2.85 ERA in 117 innings for Low-A Asheville with a pleasant 97/25 K/BB and 102 hits allowed.

Requena is listed at 6-2, 200, born November 29, 1996. J.J. Cooper at Baseball America reports a fastball at 89-93 MPH with a workable curveball and change-up. He seems like a solid sleeper prospect to me. He shows off his curveball/fastball/curveball sequencing in this video clip:

IMPRESSION:

This seems like a decent return for a 36-year-old reliever like Neshek.