The List: Eight Prospects With Strike Zone Red Flags - BaseballAmerica.com

As the article mentions, plate discpline stats are not the be-all or end-all when evaluating prospects development. But this article is from four years ago and only the top three of eight has made even a minimal impact at the major league level, and arguable only one has made a substantial impact. Why is this? It's likely because, as in the accuracy argument for QB's making the transition from NCAA to the NFL, if you can't do it at the lower level -- where pitchers are also struggling with command and control issues -- you won't be able to succeed giving away pitches and AB's at the major league level. They will exploit your weaknesses better than A level or even AA level ball. 

I agree with the title of this article, like with QB's it is a red-flag. 

from BaseballAmerica.com
http://www.baseballamerica.com/minors/8-hitting-prospects-with-strike-zone-red-flags/?_wcsid=8EB162800D50BAD2AB74003610640D767EBA8CD553241916#HbgdBAvqOIhUkXqe.97

THE LIST: EIGHT PROSPECTS WITH STRIKE ZONE RED FLAGS

It's still early in the minor league season, but we're at the point where we have meaningful data on players, both in terms of their performance and traditional scouting methods.

For hitters, the ability to control the strike zone is crucial. Whether it's plate discipline, pitch recognition or just swinging and missing through too many pitches in the strike zone, many promising prospects with tremendous raw tools have never been able to make the next step because of their inability to hone the strike zone.

That doesn't mean every minor league hitter with a low walk rate or a high strikeout rate is a bust waiting to happen. Pirates outfielder Starling Marte is an example of a player who never walked much in the minors but has become one of the best players in the game. And we have seen plenty of minor league hitters whose best skill was their ability to draw a walk never have success beyond the minors.

So while plate discipline is not necessarily a make-or-break factor in predicting a prospect's future, it's a red flag when hitters are having trouble recognizing spin, fishing for too many pitches outside the strike zone or are getting beat in the zone with stuff exposing holes in their swing. Hitters can certainly develop and cut down on those holes, but the pitching they're going to face only gets better as they move through the minors.

The hitters listed below are all examples of talented prospects who have red flags in their game related to their ability to control the strike zone. Some of these players are struggling, while others are off to seemingly great starts but have underlying issues that are cause for concern going forward.

1. Tim Anderson, ss, White Sox

Plate discipline has long been a concern with Anderson, but even with his aggressive approach he shined last year upon his jump to Double-A Birmingham. This year in Triple-A Charlotte, one of the most favorable parks in the minors for hitters, Anderson is hitting .287/.310/.380. Anderson is a premium athlete with plus-plus wheels and quick bat speed, but with five walks and 38 strikeouts in 155 plate appearances, his free-swinging tendencies hamper his ability to get on base.

2. Daz Cameron, of, Astros

Cameron signed for $4 million as the No. 37 overall pick in last year's draft, but the early returns have been ugly, to the point where the Astros sent him back to extended spring training after May 1. Cameron has swung and missed liberally, with 33 strikeouts in 87 plate appearances (38 percent), eight walks and a .143/.221/.221 overall line for low Class A Quad Cities. The good news is Cameron has still looked excellent defensively, with multiple diving catches. And if Cameron needs inspiration for how to turn things around after struggling in the Midwest League, he can just ask his father, Mike, who batted .238/.292/.297 in 122 games for South Bend as a 20-year-old, then eventually became one of the game's premier center fielders.

3. Austin Riley, 3b, Braves

Riley got off to a torrid start in his pro debut last season, batting .304/.389/.544 with 12 home runs in 60 games between two levels of Rookie ball. Riley has big-time raw power, but low Class A pitching has exposed more holes in Riley's swing, with nine walks and 44 strikeouts in 137 plate appearances for a .248/.299/.400 line overall.

4. Jake Gatewood, 3b, Brewers

Size can be a double-edged sword for hitters. In general, the bigger hitter will usually have more power potential than the shrimp, but at a certain point, being too tall works against a hitter. Being taller means the hitter has a larger strike zone he has to cover, and with longer arms often comes a longer swing with more holes. Gatewood has serious raw power, but he's hitting just .267/.277/.444 in 137 plate appearances. His free-swinging, all-or-nothing approach holds him back, with only one walk and 41 strikeouts for low Class A Wisconsin.

5. Monte Harrison, of, Brewers

When the Brewers drafted Harrison out of high school in the second round of the 2014 draft, he looked like a player who could combine top-shelf athleticism with a patient hitting approach to develop into a dynamic prospect. Instead, Harrison has been held bag by injuries and excessive strikeouts. Harrison's bat speed, foot speed and arm strength are still impressive raw tools, but he has hit just .160/.243/.210 with nine walks and 39 strikeouts in 112 plate appearances in the low Class A Midwest League.

6. Eric Jenkins, of, Rangers

The Rangers rolling the dice on a raw, toolsy, high-upside high school player with one of their top picks? That sounds familiar. Nick Williams, Joey Gallo and Lewis Brinson have all broken through as premium prospects, and while Jenkins doesn't have the raw power to match any of those three, he's a dynamic athlete with plus-plus speed. Rangers minor league hitting coaches have done a stellar job getting prospects to cut down on strikeouts, something Jenkins will have to do as he's hitting .206/.263/.298 in 158 plate appearances with 11 walks and 48 strikeouts for low Class A Hickory.

7. Javier Guerra, ss, Padres

Guerra doesn't have to be a prolific hitter to be a valuable player. He's a plus defender at shortstop, with smooth actions, a quick first step and a nose for the ball to go with a plus arm. As long as he can be serviceable at the plate, Guerra can be an everyday shortstop. To do that, Guerra will have to stop chasing so many pitches outside the strike zone. He's hitting .221/.280/.359 for high Class A Lake Elsinore, with 11 walks and 46 strikeouts in 144 plate appearances.

8. Travis Demeritte, 2b, Rangers

On the surface, Demeritte looks like he's in the midst of a breakout season, batting .278/.366/.677 with 12 home runs in 35 games for high Class A High Desert. Demeritte's quick hands and plus raw power are legitimate, and he has taken a step forward from where he was a year ago. Yet High Desert is still a launching pad, and once he leaves there, the underlying swing-and-miss issues and chase tendencies will get magnified. His 18 walks in 153 plate appearances aren't a problem, but the 53 strikeouts (a 35 percent K-rate) are a concern.

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WEEK ONE: Tough Weekend for the BirdsofStray...: and me (TOTO Edition)

JACKSONVILLE, FL - It could have been worse. Maybe a walk-off balk call from walking away from the series 1-2 instead of 2-1 (It was a balk!! Watch the replay, he flexes the back knee twice, plus other balky moves prior.) The week starts with projections, prognostications and watch-lists, so that's as good a place as any to start. I agree with the "best news" analysis from Baseball America about Eddie Miller.

from Baseball America:
https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/2020-atlantic-sun-conference-college-baseball-preview/

The best news on the mound for UNF is the return of closer Eddie Miller (1.31, 8 saves), who set the single-season ERA record for the program with his performance last year. The return of catcher Tanner Clark (.306/.407/.398), who was an effective part of the lineup in a limited role last season, will help, but UNF’s offensive success will likely be closely tied to the success of power-hitting junior college transfers in first baseman Trey Spratling-Williams and third baseman Ricky Presno.

I also agree with the assessment of Tanner Clark and the afterthought about the infusion of talent from the JUCO ranks, but first let's flesh out the analysis from graduation of last year. The Birds of Stray lost five productive mainstays from last year lineup due to graduation.

Gory Math details:

Based on their OBA/SPct and # of AB's these five hitters produced almost 18 Wins above Replacement (WAR). Replacement being the "next man up" or next best available bat after the first nine starters (since we DH). WAR is calculated by multiplying (OBA * Slugging Pct * # AB's) to come up with Runs Created attributable to that players production. Approximately 9 Runs Created equals 1 Win, so RC / 9 = WAR. You can adjust each hitters raw RC (and therefore WAR) by adjusting AB's to 200. 

So, losing Wesley Weeks, Alex Reynolds, Chris Berry, Tanner Murphy and Jay Prather sets the 2020 Ospreys back about 18 wins, but creates the opportunity of about 1,050 AB's or five new lineup slots open to competition.

Presumably, returning upperclassmen from the prior year scarf up the spots. But five is a lot of slots. The best RC or WAR values from returning players are shown above and after adjustment to 200 AB's, we see what appears to be 14 of the 18 wins coming back except for two things. Maberry is gone to parts unknown, for reasons unknown, taking 3.60 WAR and a productive RH bat with him. The 3.60 WAR gets replaced, but at ~ 1.95 replacement level. So now, we're down 5.65 because of some stupid childish shit or a lack of leadership. Self-inflicted wounds are the worst.

But wait, there's more.

As Baseball America alludes to, Tanner Clark blah, blah, blah "in a limited role"  presumably with Hurwitz, also a C, also a LH hitter, so it's not a pure platoon role that limited him. I'm not sure they aren't questioning why one can't DH while the other C's so you can share the catching workload while not losing a productive bat. Don't know what other factors might be in play, but in a perfect world they both get 200 AB's in a season rather than 200 in total. Doubling both of their AB's this year would recapture about 3 of those lost wins. That's a simple lineup optimization fix. Once again, avoid self-inflicted wounds, your opponent will make enough of them for you.

So, five lineup openings, Marabell and May plus either Clark/Hurwitz or Clark and Hurwitz, gives you at worst two, maybe only one JUCO that must step forward and produce. More AB's flowing to Hurwitz and Clark starts to tip the lineup a bit to the left side. Given that the three most prominent JUCO hitters (Presno, Spratling-Williams and West) are also LH poses a bit of a lefty-righty dilemma.

Given that a) runs will be harder to come by this year versus last and b) it's hard to see too many instances of subbing for defense, it seems that lineup optimization to squeeze out as many runs as possible is Priority 1 ahead of platooning or defensive substitutions.

Last years team missed Win Expectation by 2.50 Wins last year based on the RC formula from above and applying the Pytagorean Theorem for Baseball to calculate Wins Expected. The difference there could arise from a couple of blowouts skewing the data or optimizing your lineup to produce the most runs possible.




If we assume that the pitching staff holds opponents to roughly the same numbers (ceteris paribus) as last year, which is not unrealistic, We get the following numbers as far as RC -> opponents RC -> Est. Win Pct -> Est. Wins. We did lose quite a bit of talent on the pitching side, but the returning pipeline of talent seems to be there to replace the graduates.

Pitching has some runway to regress back to 2019 numbers while hitters will have to improve into the teeth of opposition pitching that gets tougher as the schedule gets longer. Same is true for the pitchers about batters faced, but they have some breathing room for now. I thought we would fatten up the hitting statistics in this series, but that's in the past. If the staff can hold the fort on their side, especially early in the season, the hitters don't have to do as much early and the talent has time to acclimate.

And yes Virginia, there is a difference between JUCO and D1 Baseball. If you don't believe me see Jeff Zimmerman's FanGraphs article from 6/28/2016 on the subject where he found that transitions from JUCO to D1 averaged:

-.063 AVG,  -.057 OPB,  -.067 SLG, K's +4.5% of ABs and BB% -0.6% of AB's

Those numbers would be acceptable off a weekend where our JUCO hitters posted two hits in 25 AB's. It's still early and anybody can be almost anything over the course of 40 AB's, even in the major leagues. You need to see where everyone stands after 400 AB's.

Sharpest Tools In The Shed | Baseball America

JACKSONVILLE - Hopefully, this article silences some of those who feel that Yadier Molina is a better defensive catcher than Posey. Although, I doubt it will.

Also, some in the pocket protector crowd at SABR continue to make the ridiculous case that Addison Russell is a better defensive SS than Brandon Crawford. "Crawford has two Gold Gloves that belong to Russell" according to their convoluted metrics. I actually heard that at SABR48 from somebody.

Any statistical hocus-pocus that gives you that result needs to be re-engineered. Russell isn't even the best defensive SS on his own team, Javier Baez is. Russell doesn't even make the top three in the NL according to the experts that BA polled.

Every year Baseball America polls managers, scouts and executives to identify the best players in a variety of categories. Here are the results for 2018.

from Baseball America:
https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/2018-mlb-best-tools/

Best Defensive C1. Buster Posey, Giants2. Austin Hedges, Padres3. Yasmani Grandal, Dodgers

Best Defensive 1B1. Paul Goldschmidt, D-backs2. Freddie Freeman, Braves3. Anthony Rizzo, Cubs

Best Defensive 2B1. D.J. LeMahieu, Rockies2. Javier Baez, Cubs3. Ozzie Albies, Braves

 Best Defensive 3B

1. Nolan Arenado, Rockies2. Anthony Rendon, Nationals3. Johan Camargo, Braves

Best Defensive SS1. Brandon Crawford, Giants2. Nick Ahmed, D-backs3. Trea Turner, Nationals

I know this is blasphemy coming from a member of SABR but, sometimes the eye test wins.

Rage against the Machine(s).

...and screw Ben Zobrist and Anthony Rizzo and Saint Jospeh. If we're going to go down this robo-ump rabbit-hole, let's just go full throttle stupid and replace the players with robots that we can bet on or against and have a total fantasy, non-reality sport.

Screw the human element and remove it in "all" aspects of the game including the players and coaches.

Really getting tired of these ass-hats and the direction this game appears to be going. Let them become the NFL and the NBA, there's a reason I don't watch those clowns anymore.

2018 MLB Organizational Talent Rankings | Baseball America

JACKSONVILLE - At least there is this for Giants fans. We've moved up three spots in Baseball America's Organizational Talent Rankings. Bart makes the list and the new influx of talent from the most recent draft seems to have pushed Heliot Ramos outside the Top 100.

As mentioned, pitching is thin and filled with high-floor, low-ceiling guys. The Giants really had to get more out of Beede and Stratton, the two #1's. That they are getting more from Suarez, a lower rounder and Derek Rodriguez, a converted outfielder says a lot about where this team is and where it is going.

from baseballamerica.com
https://www.baseballamerica.com/rankings/2018-mlb-organizational-talent-rankings/

1. 23 

   Last: 26
   

   San Francisco Giants

   Notes:
   

   2017: 24 | 2016: 19 | 2015: 26 | 2014: 19 | 2013: 28
   

   1 Top 100 Prospect: C Joey Bart (37).

   
   

   State of the System: The Giants added a potential first-division catcher in Bart. Young outfielders like Heliot Ramos and Alexander Canario are years away, but they they do have promise. The Giants' pitching depth is thin, but finding surprises on the free agent market like Dereck Rodriguez has helped them work around those issues in the past.

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The Top 100 for 2018 | Baseball America

https://www.youtube.com/embed/E6XRpSaY9xM

JACKSONVILLE - Joey Bart comes in at #40, Ramos pushed off the list due to 2018 Draftees being added. You have to like the write-up on Bart here.

from baseballamerica.com
https://www.baseballamerica.com/rankings/2018-top-100-prospects/

40

Joey Bart

GiantsC

Notes:

Hit: 45 | Power: 60 | Speed: 40 | Defense: 55 | Arm: 60
Scouting Report: Listed at 6-foot-3 and 225 pounds, Bart has all the tools necessary to become an above-average defensive catcher at the pro level. He has a strong arm that's at least above-average and likely plus, as well as strong and quiet hands, footwork that's online to his target during throws and exceptional game-calling abilities for an amateur. Prior to this spring, scouts questioned Bart's effort behind the dish, but the recent feedback has been exceptional. When he's locked in and focused, he looks the part. Offensively, Bart has plus raw power to all fields and has a solid track record in the ACC. Bart also has a solid wood bat track record, hitting .309/.389/.433 with two home runs in the Cape Cod League in 2016, which should help ease the worries of teams who might knock him for a poor summer in 2017, when he was dealing with a groin injury while playing for USA Baseball's Collegiate National Team. Bart does have a history of striking out a bit too much, and most evaluators put the hit tool at fringe-average at best, but the combination of his defensive tools and his ability to get to his power in-game at a position that is incredibly scarce.

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Tim Tebow Appears At 2018 Eastern League Double-A All-Star Game, Dismisses Mets Promotion Talk

** PUBLISHED POST #2,500 *** 

JACKSONVILLE - The stats bear it out. Tebow has done better in most categories with his opportunity than MJ. Russell Wilson would probably have been the better prospect long term had he chosen baseball, but he didn't. He's doing OK in his chosen profession however.

Look out NY. As predicted, the Mets are scraping the cellar and will be out of contention by September. That can only mean a call-up for Tim Tebow. The icing on the cake would be a MLB HR in his first AB.

from baseballamerica.com
https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/tim-tebow-adjusts-to-double-a/

Tebow batted ninth as the DH for the Eastern Division in Wednesday's Eastern League all-star game and went 1-for-4 with an opposite-field double. He had a chance to give his team the lead in the seventh inning, but with runners on first and second and one out he popped out to left on the first pitch.

Prior to the game, hundreds of fans waited close to an hour for his autograph. His No. 15 shirt was the only all-star player jersey available for sale at the game.

The Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback turned baseball player is hitting .241/.319/.362 in 76 games for the Binghamton Rumble Ponies. He’s smacked five home runs with 33 RBIs.

Tebow has committed just one error in 75 chances in left field.

He’s been on a bit of a tear heading into Wednesday’s game. In his previous 10 games, Tebow is hitting .353 (12-for-34).

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Top 50 International Prospects | Baseball America

Given the caveats from the story linked below, I think the Giants did well with their signings.

The #2, #11 and #37 ranked prospects on the list are now potentially future Gigantes.

RK	Name	POS	COUNTRY	MLB TEAM	Bonus
2	Marco Luciano	SS	Dominican Republic	Giants	$        2,600,000
11	Jairo Pomares	OF	Cuba	Giants	$            975,000
37	Luis Matos	OF	Venezuela	Giants

There are 7 remaining unsigned players, including the top-ranked Victor Mesa from Cuba. I think the Giants work here is pretty much finished. There are scouting reports and YouTube videos listed below from the article for the Gigantes prospects.

These are very young prospects, so don't expect to see them on the big club for quite some time. Given the bonuses doled out, Luciano would appear to be considered the equivalent of a 1st - 2nd rounder and Pomares, who it looks like the Giants signed at a very reasonable price, is the equivalent of a 3rd - 5th rounder. Give or take a round or two.

This is a sad caveat from the story:

Due to requests from players and families, we will not be publishing any signing bonus amounts for Venezuelan players at this time.

They might want to consider extending the same courtesy to Cuban players as well. 

The Dominican Republic continues to dominate the ranking in terms of quantity and quality, with Venezuela second and Cuba third. The Cubans have to be of a higher quality to overcome the burden of  removing them from a "closed" society. Sadly, it seems as if it won't be long before the Venezuelans suffer the same fate. 

Viva la Revolution, right Comrades?

Row Labels	Count of Name	Average of RK
Colombia	1	41.00
Cuba	6	18.33
Curacao	2	30.50
Dominican Republic	28	26.64
Mexico	1	34.00
Venezuela	12	23.58
Grand Total	50	25.50

from baseballamerica.com
https://www.baseballamerica.com/rankings/2018-top-international-baseball-free-agent-prospects/

Projecting the future of international prospects who are 15 and 16 years old involves a high level of risk and uncertainty. For the 2018 class, that is particularly true, with little consensus in the international scouting community on even the top 2018 players. In general, scouts seemed more enthusiastic about last year’s strong 2017 class and another talented group ahead in 2019. That made it a challenge to line up the top prospects in the 2018 class, particularly with the reality that players have had commitments in place to sign with clubs for more than a year in some cases. 

This year’s list also includes Cuban players who are subject to the international bonus pools. While 21-year-old outfielder Victor Mesa is an exception, most of the top Cuban players out now are in the same age group as the top 16-year-old players from the Dominican Republic and Venezuela. However, due to the circumstances of how Cuban players are scouted and become eligible to sign, there are Cuban players who might belong on the list but have been omitted until more information on them becomes available.

These are Baseball America’s top 50 international prospects for the 2018-19 international signing period, which opens on July 2.

RK	Name	POS	COUNTRY	MLB TEAM	Bonus
1	Victor Victor Mesa	OF	Cuba
2	Marco Luciano	SS	Dominican Republic	Giants	$  2,600,000
3	Diego Cartaya	C	Venezuela	Dodgers
4	Noelvi Marte	SS	Dominican Republic	Mariners	$  1,550,000
5	Osiel Rodriguez	RHP	Cuba	Yankees
6	Richard Gallardo	RHP	Venezuela	Cubs
7	Orelvis Martinez	SS	Dominican Republic	Blue Jays	$  3,500,000
8	Gabriel Rodriguez	SS	Venezuela	Indians
9	Francisco Alvarez	C	Venezuela	Mets
10	Misael Urbina	OF	Venezuela	Twins
11	Jairo Pomares	OF	Cuba	Giants	$     975,000
12	Alvin Guzman	OF	Dominican Republic	D-backs
13	Alejandro Pie	SS	Dominican Republic	Rays
14	Antonio Gomez	C	Venezuela	Yankees
15	Kevin Alcantara	OF	Dominican Republic
16	Starlyn Castillo	RHP	Dominican Republic	Phillies	$  1,600,000
17	Jose de la Cruz	OF	Dominican Republic	Tigers
18	Omar Florentino	SS	Dominican Republic	Royals
19	Juan Guerrero	SS	Dominican Republic	Rockies
20	Eduardo Lopez	OF	Dominican Republic	Red Sox	$  1,150,000
21	Junior Sanquintin	SS	Dominican Republic	Indians	$  1,250,000
22	Abraham Calzadilla	RHP	Venezuela	D-backs
23	Jerming Rosario	RHP	Dominican Republic	Dodgers
24	Sandy Gaston	RHP	Cuba
25	Alexander Ramirez	OF	Dominican Republic
26	Malcom Nunez	3B	Cuba	Cardinals
27	Jose Lopez	OF	Dominican Republic	Cubs
28	Eduarqui Fernandez	OF	Dominican Republic	Brewers	$  1,100,000
29	Freddy Valdez	OF	Dominican Republic	Mets	$  1,400,000
30	Ryson Polonius	SS	Curacao	Rays
31	Rainer Polonius	SS	Curacao	Rays
32	Fernando Ortega	RHP	Dominican Republic	Phillies
33	Warming Bernabel	SS	Dominican Republic	Rockies	$     900,000
34	Fernando Villalobos	C	Mexico
35	Sergio Campana	OF	Dominican Republic	Pirates	$     500,000
36	Jose Rodriguez	C	Venezuela	Rangers
37	Luis Matos	OF	Venezuela	Giants
38	Adinso Reyes	SS	Dominican Republic	Tigers
39	Angel Martinez	SS	Dominican Republic	Indians	$     500,000
40	Estanli Castillo	OF	Dominican Republic	Rays	$     350,000
41	Branlyn Jaraba	3B	Colombia	Brewers	$  1,100,000
42	Joalbert Angulo	LHP	Venezuela	Phillies
43	Denny Larrondo	RHP	Cuba	Yankees	$     550,000
44	Diomedes Sierra	LHP	Dominican Republic	D-backs
45	Jose Bonilla	SS	Dominican Republic
46	Rafael Morel	SS	Dominican Republic	Cubs	$     850,000
47	Joel Machado	LHP	Venezuela	Cubs
48	Agustin Ramirez	C	Dominican Republic	Yankees
49	Eduardo Garcia	SS	Venezuela
50	Daury del Rosario	SS	Dominican Republic	Rays

2

Marco Luciano

Dominican Republic SS/OF

Notes:

Born: Oct. 9, 2001 | Ht: 6-1 | Wt: 180 | B-T: R-R

Scouting Report: In a year that lacks a consensus top 16-year-old international prospect, Luciano has an exciting combination of offensive upside and athleticism, with a compact, explosive swing that produces effortless power. Luciano has strong hands, quick wrists and generates snappy bat speed, using his lower half well with good rhythm and swing path. He generates impressive torque in his swing and shows plus power to all fields. He does it both in batting practice and against live pitching, with home runs to his pull side and the opposite way in games. With broad shoulders on a lean, well-proportioned frame, Luciano has the physical projection to potentially develop 70 power. While some scouts had concerns about swing-and-miss tendencies they saw early on from Luciano, he has cut down on that and generally manages his at-bats well with a solid feel for the strike zone for his age. He is a good athlete with slightly above-average speed. Luciano grew up playing shortstop, but when he hit a growth spurt, his trainer moved him to the outfield. He spent eight months in the outfield, then in February 2017 moved back to shortstop. While some scouts still believe Luciano will outgrow shortstop and end up at either third base or right field, he handles himself well at shortstop for now. Luciano isn’t flashy but he fields his position cleanly, making the routine plays with a strong, accurate arm. Luciano trains with Ray Castillo and is expected to sign with the Giants for a bonus in the $2.5 million area.

https://youtu.be/RMu2qltbDs4

11

Jairo Pomares

Cuba  OF

Notes:

Born: Aug. 4, 2000 | Ht: 6-1 | Wt: 185 | B-T: L-R

Scouting Report: Pomares played in Cuba’s 15U national league in 2015, when he ranked sixth in the league in batting average by hitting .383/.447/.533 with 16 walks and just six strikeouts in 141 plate appearances. Now a 17-year-old in the Dominican Republic, Pomares has a large, athletic frame with promising offensive upside and a pretty swing from the left side. It’s a fluid stroke that’s quick, compact and efficient, producing a high contact rate in games. Pomares has natural, easy hitting actions, with good rhythm and timing in the box to go with a solid idea of the strike zone for his age. Pomares shows over-the-fence power in batting practice, though in games his swing is more geared for line drives than loft, with the potential for average power. Pomares is a good athlete who has shown plus speed underway in the 60-yard dash. When Pomares played in Cuba in 2015, he mostly played left field with a little bit of time in right field as well. With an average arm, Pomares has the speed for center field and scouts highest on him thought he could play there, though others thought his defensive instincts were better suited for a corner. The Giants are expected to sign Pomares, with a bonus likely around $1 million.

https://youtu.be/nDuCgYhwTmE

37

Luis Matos

Venezuela OF

Notes:

Born: Jan. 28, 2002 | Ht: 5-11 | Wt: 160 | B-T: R-R

Scouting Report: Several scouts consider Matos to be one of the best hitters this year out of Venezuela. Matos represented Venezuela last year at the COPABE 15U Pan American Championships in Colombia and earns praise from scouts for his track record of hitting well in games with a knack for squaring up live pitching. He’s a savvy player who puts together quality at-bats consistently, with quick hand speed, good hand-eye coordination and a mature offensive approach. Matos can occasionally send a ball to the alleys, but he doesn’t project to be a big power threat, with a hit-over-power profile. Matos’ projected offensive production would fit in center field, but his fringe-average speed might be stretched thin there, while a corner outfield spot would place more demands on his power spiking down the road. At his best he has flashes above-average arm strength that would fit in right field. The Giants are likely to sign Matos, who trains with Andres Veliz.

https://youtu.be/t0MNAkY38a8