Royber Salinas

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Oakland Athletics #14 prospect in 2024
  BA Grade: 50/Extreme
  
  Track Record: The Venezuela native was an under-the-radar signing by the Braves in 2018. He enjoyed a breakout 2022 season, striking out 175 batters over 109 innings in the lower levels. The A’s acquired Salinas along with three others in a December 2022 deal that sent catcher Sean Murphy to Atlanta. He spent all of 2023 with Double-A Midland, striking out 89 batters in 67.1 innings despite a somewhat unlucky 5.48 ERA. He also missed nearly two months with a forearm injury.
  
  Scouting Report: Salinas’ inconsistency provides a tough evaluation for opposing scouts. He has electric days when he touches 97 mph with his fastball and pairs it with a plus slider, but also struggles with command, sequencing and stranding runners. That evened out to a 30.9% to 10.8% strikeout-to-walk ratio in 2023. His fastball averaged nearly 95 mph and has riding life, although slightly less induced vertical break compared to his time in the Braves system. He also introduced a cutter in 2023. Salinas’ tight mid-80s slider is his best pitch and a plus offering. He can land it in the zone and it elicited whiffs nearly 60% of the time. He can also bury his low-80s curve in the dirt as a chase pitch. He needs to throw more strikes to remain in a starting role. There are also concerns about Salinas’ conditioning--he weighs far closer to 250 pounds than his listed 205 pounds.
  
  The Future: Salinas has dynamite stuff, but plenty to clean up. He has the floor of a high-leverage reliever if the strike-throwing doesn’t improve.
  
  Scouting Grades Fastball: 55 | Curveball: 55 | Slider: 65 | Cutter: 50 | Control: 45
• 
  Ranked Oakland Athletics #10 prospect in 2023
  BA Grade/Risk: 50/Extreme
  
  Track Record: Salinas was an under-the-radar signing out of Venezuela in 2018, but he flashed bat-missing potential in the Dominican Summer League in 2019 and in domestic leagues in 2021, when he whiffed 67 batters in 39.1 innings. Salinas fully broke out in 2022 at Low-A Augusta and High-A Rome by striking out 175 batters in 109 innings. Oakland acquired him plus three other prospects in the December three-team deal that sent Sean Murphy to Atlanta.
  
  Scouting Report: Salinas is a big-bodied righthander listed at 6-foot-3, 205 pounds, though he's quite a bit heavier than that listed weight. He attacks hitters with a powerful three-pitch mix headlined by one of the best fastballs in the system. Salinas sat 93-95 mph with his four-seam fastball and touched 98 in 2022. The pitch has plus carry in the top of the zone, with high spin (2,400 rpm) and more than 18 inches of induced vertical break. He pairs his fastball up with multiple breaking balls that have improved significantly during the 2022 season. Salinas previously threw his slider and curveball with slower, loopier shape. By the end of the season, he was throwing a gyro slider around 87 mph that touched 90 as well as a hammer, downer curveball in the 80-82 mph range. Scouts are mixed on which breaking pitch they prefer, though both were bat-missing pitches at a high level. Salinas' slider was thrown for a strike more frequently and was used more often, while his curve could pair nicely as a north-south complement to his fastball, with more velo separation. Salinas currently has below-average control.
  
  The Future: Salinas has midrotation stuff, but scouts wonder if his control will limit him to a high-leverage bullpen role. They also note that he will need to stay on top of maintaining his body moving forward.
  
  Scouting Grades: Fastball: 65. Curveball: 60. Slider: 60. Control: 40

• February, 2023 Scouting Report
  BA Grade/Risk: 50/Extreme
  
  Track Record: Salinas was an under-the-radar signing out of Venezuela in 2018, but he flashed bat-missing potential in the Dominican Summer League in 2019 and in domestic leagues in 2021, when he whiffed 67 batters in 39.1 innings. Salinas fully broke out in 2022 at Low-A Augusta and High-A Rome by striking out 175 batters in 109 innings. Oakland acquired him plus three other prospects in the December three-team deal that sent Sean Murphy to Atlanta.
  
  Scouting Report: Salinas is a big-bodied righthander listed at 6-foot-3, 205 pounds, though he's quite a bit heavier than that listed weight. He attacks hitters with a powerful three-pitch mix headlined by one of the best fastballs in the system. Salinas sat 93-95 mph with his four-seam fastball and touched 98 in 2022. The pitch has plus carry in the top of the zone, with high spin (2,400 rpm) and more than 18 inches of induced vertical break. He pairs his fastball up with multiple breaking balls that have improved significantly during the 2022 season. Salinas previously threw his slider and curveball with slower, loopier shape. By the end of the season, he was throwing a gyro slider around 87 mph that touched 90 as well as a hammer, downer curveball in the 80-82 mph range. Scouts are mixed on which breaking pitch they prefer, though both were bat-missing pitches at a high level. Salinas' slider was thrown for a strike more frequently and was used more often, while his curve could pair nicely as a north-south complement to his fastball, with more velo separation. Salinas currently has below-average control.
  
  The Future: Salinas has midrotation stuff, but scouts wonder if his control will limit him to a high-leverage bullpen role. They also note that he will need to stay on top of maintaining his body moving forward.
  
  Scouting Grades: Fastball: 65. Curveball: 60. Slider: 60. Control: 40
• December, 2022 Scouting Report
  BA Grade/Risk: 50/Extreme
  
  Track Record: Salinas was an under-the-radar signing out of Venezuela in 2018, but he flashed bat-missing potential in the Dominican Summer League in 2019 and in domestic leagues in 2021, when he whiffed 67 batters in 39.1 innings. Salinas fully broke out in 2022 at Low-A Augusta and High-A Rome by striking out 175 batters in 109 innings. Oakland acquired him plus three other prospects in the December three-team deal that sent Sean Murphy to Atlanta.
  
  Scouting Report: Salinas is a big-bodied righthander listed at 6-foot-3, 205 pounds, though he's quite a bit heavier than that listed weight. He attacks hitters with a powerful three-pitch mix headlined by one of the best fastballs in the system. Salinas sat 93-95 mph with his four-seam fastball and touched 98 in 2022. The pitch has plus carry in the top of the zone, with high spin (2,400 rpm) and more than 18 inches of induced vertical break. He pairs his fastball up with multiple breaking balls that have improved significantly during the 2022 season. Salinas previously threw his slider and curveball with slower, loopier shape. By the end of the season, he was throwing a gyro slider around 87 mph that touched 90 as well as a hammer, downer curveball in the 80-82 mph range. Scouts are mixed on which breaking pitch they prefer, though both were bat-missing pitches at a high level. Salinas' slider was thrown for a strike more frequently and was used more often, while his curve could pair nicely as a north-south complement to his fastball, with more velo separation. Salinas currently has below-average control.
  
  The Future: Salinas has midrotation stuff, but scouts wonder if his control will limit him to a high-leverage bullpen role. They also note that he will need to stay on top of maintaining his body moving forward.
  
  Scouting Grades: Fastball: 65. Curveball: 60. Slider: 60. Control: 40
• April, 2022 Scouting Report
  BA Grade: 50/Extreme
  
  May Update: Armed with a mid-to-high-90s fastball with plus vertical ride, Salinas overwhelmed Low-A competition over the first month of the season. His pair of distinctly different breaking balls in his tight mid-80s slider and a hammer curveball at 79-82 mph both miss bats at an elite rate. His ability to play the two pitches off of his fastball paired with his deceptive operation make him one of the more uncomfortable at-bats in the lower minors. Still refining his command, Salinas will lose his release point and fight bouts of poor command. Salinas turned 21 years old in April and should spend the majority of the season at High-A Rome. While he&#39s likely to end up in a pen should his command not improve, Salinas will be given every chance to start as he moves up the ladder.