The Sports Idiot

Mat Latos is the second ranked prospect in the San Diego Padres farm system. He also started his first game in the Bigs on Sunday, against the Colorado Rockies. Before getting to how he did, here is a quick look at who Latos is.

Boasting a wicked fastball that sits in the mid to high 90’s, Latos is a 6′5″ rocket launcher. He also utilizes a slider that breaks late and has two plane movement because of his height and the three-quarters arm slot he hurls it from. Latos will mix in a changeup as well, but he is still learning his way through switching from a spike change grip to a more traditional straight change grip last year. These pitches have helped him work to a 10.5 K/9 and a 4.6 K:BB ratio early in his career. Latos has racked up 216 Ks in the Minors with a 1.06 WHIP and a 2.49 ERA.

So far in his young career, Latos has had shoulder and oblique problems that have caused him to have only thrown 56 innings in each of his first two pro seasons. Now he is in the Bigs, and is expected to be on a strict pitch/inning count. Sunday, he threw just 75 pitches over four innings, giving up two earned runs. He did strikeout four while only walking one, but he also gave up three hits, including a round tripper, on his way to his first official loss.

Latos could have a huge impact for the Padres. He could be their version of Tim Lincecum, and he is pegged as the future of the staff. Should he be the future of your fantasy staff, though? If you are in a keeper league, yes, nab him ASAP. If you are not in a keeper league, however, proceed with caution. While he will load up on Ks and should have a decent ERA and WHIP, his innings limit and pitch count will also limit his ability to even be eligible for wins. Personally, while I am concerned about his limits and the Padres’ fears of hurting him, I am more concerned with his attitude. He has shown “Big League-itis” in the past, and tends to rub his teammates the wrong way. How he responds to the limited time on the hill will be quite telling of how the 21 year old is maturing. That will not stop me from grabbing him and giving him a shot, though.