The New York Yankees launched left-hander Kevin Centeno on Nov. 3, reducing ties with a pitcher who struck out 81 batters in 55 innings.
Centeno piled up strikeouts at a speedy clip in his first season, but his stroll fee climbed sharply in his second.
Centeno, a left-hander born in Quibor, Venezuela, turned 20 in February and stands 6-foot-2 and 189 kilos. The Yankees signed him on Jan. 23, 2025, to a minor league contract as an undrafted worldwide free agent out of Venezuela. He was one among a number of Venezuelan pitchers signed that day, together with left-handers Andre Avila and Luis Rodriguez.
His signing bonus was by no means publicly reported. The Yankees assigned him to the DSL NYY Yankees on Feb. 5, 2025, then moved him to the DSL NYY Bombers on Might 31, 2025. He by no means superior past the Dominican Summer time League.
New York Yankees Launch Kevin Centeno Amongst 9 Gamers
The Yankees launched 9 gamers from the group Tuesday, all from the Dominican Summer time League rosters. Outfielder Richard Meran, left-hander Ronald Tejada and catcher John Rosillo had been amongst them. Outfielder Eliezer Adames, who signed on Jan. 24, 2025, someday after Centeno, additionally was minimize.
The Bombers launched Franklin Corniel on Nov. 4, 2023, and Daniel Salas the identical day, each right-handers first assigned to the Dominican Summer time League in 2021.
Cuts at that stage comply with the tip of the league’s season and open area for incoming signees. The Yankees opened the 2026 worldwide signing interval in January with two shortstops and three catchers, and a brand new class of signees arrives yearly to fill the bottom rungs of the system.
Kevin Centeno’s Strikeout and Stroll Numbers
In 2025, Centeno went 3-1 with a 4.59 ERA in 18 video games, one among them a begin, and struck out 53 in 33 1/3 innings. He additionally walked 23, hit 9 batters and threw 9 wild pitches.
The 2026 season went otherwise. Working solely in reduction, Centeno went 0-1 with a 5.40 ERA in 11 video games, putting out 28 and strolling 23 in 21 2/3 innings. His strikeout fee fell from 34.6 p.c to 26.9 p.c, whereas his stroll fee rose from 15 p.c to 22.1 p.c. His walks per 9 innings climbed from 6.2 to 9.6, and his strikeouts per 9 dropped from 14.3 to 11.6.
Scores on The Baseball Dice rating his strikeouts at 99 and his walks at 24. No public scouting report on his fastball velocity or secondary pitches has surfaced, and Centeno wasn’t round lengthy sufficient to seem on prospect rankings.
Throughout 29 profession appearances, 28 of them in reduction, Centeno walked 46 batters, hit 13 and threw 16 wild pitches towards his 81 strikeouts. He posted a 4.91 ERA and a 1.56 WHIP.
The Dominican Summer time League serves because the entry level for worldwide signees, and Centeno spent each of his skilled seasons there and not using a promotion to stateside advanced ball. His strikeout totals had been the strongest a part of his file. His stroll and wild-pitch totals grew in the identical span.
Centeno, 20, is now free to signal with one other group. Whether or not a membership values the strikeouts greater than the walks is the query he takes into the offseason.
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