Carlos De La Rosa 4/28/26

Really impressive XST outing from 18-year-old Giants LHP Carlos De La Rosa Tuesday night. He went 3 IP more than held his own against a Diamondbacks lineup with four rehabbing MLB players - Luis Urias, Gabriel Moreno, Carlos Santana, and Tyler Locklear.

Full throttle bulldog on the mound – he went after hitters and attacked the zone. Great mound presence. De La Rosa was aggressive and oozed confidence; he didn’t seem to give a sh** he was facing MLB guys. 5-pitch mix: 4SM, CB, SL, CHG, 2SM. The 4SM sat 94-95 and natural cut/bore life in on the hands of RHH and generated a couple weak grounders. The curve had tight 1/7 shape and late bite. The slider was equal parts horizontal and vertical break. Similar velo bands in low 80s. Change flashed late fade/dive in mid 80s. Used 2sm down/away to RHH to set up his breaking stuff.

Good feel to pitch. He varied sequencing and showed the ability to land breaking balls in zone for a strike to get ahead. Combo approach - work E/W or N/S with intent. 4sm played well up. Curve is best present secondary pitch, unique movement profile given high slot –expected a more vertical 12/6 type shape. His ability to create spin is real and believe in slider projection. CHG was inconsistent but flashed late dive and fade.

De La Rosa is listed at 5’10” 193. He looks closer to 6’1” 215-220 now. It’s a body built for logging innings. Thick through the hips and thighs. His delivery is explosive, and he is a sneaky athlete for his size. Works down the mound well and creates a lot of torque with big hip to shoulder separation. Elbow dips a little low on his takeaway, which makes it harder to repeat.

Body language read – get the impression he is an intense competitor. Moreno hit an F9 and the way De La Rosa went to back up a throw made me feel like he takes baseball seriously and his head is in the game at all times. Strikes you as a kid who will look for every edge. See a lot of SP traits: the mix/stuff, body, and feel to pitch are all encouraging. Can see path to MLB #2 or #3 SP type ceiling.