Anthony Veneziano was drafted by the Royals in the tenth round of the 2019 MLB Draft. He’s a big, 6-5 lefty with a good fastball-changeup combination. His slider has improved throughout his minor league career but the command has limited him. For much of his minor-league career thus far, Veneziano has had a walk rate near or above 10%. Those free passes alongside regular contact have caused him to struggle with inflated WHIP and ERA numbers. The 2023 season showed some promise, as Veneziano walked just 3.0% of hitters for Northwest Arkansas. That improvement didn’t translate to Triple-A, unfortunately.
Season Stats:
2021 (High-A): 22 G, 93.2 IP, 3.75 ERA, 4.09 FIP, 32.2 K%, 9.4 BB%
2022 (AA): 26 G, 122.2 IP, 5.72 ERA, 6.01 FIP, 22.8 K%, 11.7 BB%
2023 (AA): 8 G, 42.1 IP, 2.13 ERA, 3.67 FIP, 28.4 K%, 3.0% BB%
2023 (AAA): 18 G, 89.2 IP, 4.22 ERA, 4.62 FIP, 20.6 K%, 11.2 BB%
Veneziano has shown flashes of outstanding results throughout his pro career. He’s also been rather reliable and healthy, pitching at or above 100 innings in each of the last three seasons. When his stuff is working, Veneziano can be a strikeout machine. He finished with a strikeout rate above 32% in High-A after the canceled 2020 season. That showing put him firmly on the map as a pitching prospect. Sadly, the numbers dipped in his first attempt at Double-A and the walks rose a bit.
There was a lot of success in Double-A to start 2023 but that success didn’t translate entirely to Omaha. Still, Veneziano’s showing in Omaha was enough to earn him a short stint in the big leagues before the season ended. He pitched 2.1 innings for the Royals, allowing zero earned runs and two walks. There’s talk that Veneziano has worked on his slider/sweeper some this offseason. Improving his stuff can help raise the ceiling some. Veneziano can get by with a walk rate of around 10% if he’s striking guys out close to a 30% clip like he was earlier in his minor-league career. Unfortunately, barring serious improvements to his arsenal that seems unlikely.
Scouting Grades:
Fastball: 50/55
Changeup: 55/55
Slider: 50/55
Command: 40/45
Best Case Scenario
The best case for Veneziano is likely somewhere in the bullpen. His stuff is good enough to make an impact in the big leagues, but it doesn’t play well enough three times through the lineup, and his command limits it. He could be successful as a multi-inning reliever of sorts, or even a swingman option out of the bullpen in case a spot start need arises. Amir Garrett was a past comp I had for Veneziano, but lately, I’ve settled on Brandon Waddell. Garrett has made a career as an average MLB reliever, but Waddell never really caught on in the majors at all. Waddell is still starting, whereas Garrett was obviously a reliever.
Worst Case Scenario
If an average MIRP is the best case for Veneziano, the worst case revolves around his value as a starter. Should the organization continue to use him in a starting role, the ceiling honestly looks more like a depth starter to fill the upper minors. Perhaps injury could clear the way for him to make some spot starts here or there, but without a move to the bullpen, the results simply aren’t going to be strong enough for Veneziano to stick on a big league roster.
