Jose Ceda, RP

[THE_REAL_MIBS]

Full Name: Jose Marti Ceda
Born: 01/28/1987
Birthplace: Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Height: 6' 4"
Weight: 275
Bats: R
Throws: R

Acquired by the Chicago Cubs from the San Diego Padres for INF Todd Walker and cash considerations on July 31, 2006...originally signed by the Padres as a non-drafted free agent on Nov. 1, 2004. Acquired by Florida in exchange fro Kevin Gregg on Nov. 13, 2008.

[Ralph]

Jose Ceda, RP
Organization: Marlins
Current Level: Triple-A
Statistics: 1-1 W-L; 10 SVs; 0.56 ERA; 0.88 WHIP; 19:5 K:BB over 16 IPs
40-man roster: Yes
Opportunity Rating: 8
Talent Rating: 7
Obstacle(s): Injury history; weight issues

Simply put, Ceda is not a small man. In fact, pretty much everything about him — from his size to his fastball to his walk rate — is big. The 6’4″, 268-pound 24-year-old Dominican, who signed in 2004 and was acquired in a trade with Chicago for Kevin Gregg, has as much history hitting the upper-90s with his fastball as he does hitting the cookie jar. He has been listed as heavy as 280 pounds in the past, and this spring, the right-hander reported to camp overweight,, much to the ire of Marlins manager Edwin Rodriguez.

After he was held out of spring workouts until he got his weight under control, it appears Ceda may be doing much the same with his stuff. Fully healthy following shoulder surgery that caused him to miss all of 2009 — his first season in the Marlins organization — Ceda has been using his explosive good ol’ No. 1 and his above-average slider to mow down hitters in his first exposure at the Triple-A level. While the miniscule ERA (0.56), nasty K rate (10.7/9) and Pacific Coast-leading 10 saves are all impressive, the biggest number — and by that, I mean most important — is 2.8, which is his current BB/9 rate, down from 4.7 career. That earned Ceda the Marlins’ minor league pitcher of the month for April.

Of course, there’s always the worry that a pitcher like Ceda could get eaten up (pun…intended?) in the bigs. That’s just what happened to him during his promotion from Double-A last September, when he posted 9 Ks but 8 hits and 11 BBs in 8 and 2/3 IPs. But if his command has, in fact, turned a corner, his career minor-league hit rate (5.6/9) and homer rate (0.5/9) should translate enough to make him a strong back-of-the-bullpen option.

Ceda has the stuff, certainly, to wedge himself into a setup role with the Marlins this season, making him a solid spec add in NL-only leagues. And if he has success, it’s not out of the question that he could be groomed as a replacement for closer Leo Nunez, who is a free agent after 2012, which means Ceda would be even more valuable in keeper and dynasty formats.

ETA: If Ceda keeps up his current pace, he should make it to Florida in June.

http://www.fangraphs.com/fantasy/ind...ng-the-minors/