March 21, 2021

Patino, now 21, was rushed to the Majors by the Padres in 2020 due to his rare combination of stuff, athleticism, and makeup. A starter in the minors, he was used almost exclusively out of the bullpen in his debut. Patino struggled with both his command and his control in the unfamiliar role. The fact he didn't completely meltdown with a 16.5% walk rate, though, speaks to the quality of his stuff. Patino has a fastball that sits around 95-96 mph and backs it up with two secondary offerings with plus potential. During his debut, the slider was his one offering that was consistently down in the zone and it generated a Whiff rate of 48%. If he can command the offering a little more consistently and keep it down in the zone, then it will become more of a strikeout weapon for him. The most worrisome thing with Patino is his propensity for generating fly balls. It came back to bite him at the MLB level with a HR/FB rate of 12.5%. Because he's on the shorter side for a pitcher, he doesn't generate a natural downward plane on his offerings and he likes to work up in the zone so home runs could likely always be an issue for him. Patino was optioned to the Rays' minor-league camp back on March 16, which sent his already low ADP down to 545. He could still be an impact arm for Tampa Bay in 2021 but it won't happen in the beginning of the season. The Rays don't have a deep (or proven) starting rotation so he could get an extended look later on this year. Patino is also a must-have in dynasty leagues as he possesses a bright future despite the potential ongoing issues with the long-ball.--Marc Hulet - RotoBaller