[情報] Top Ten Puerto Rican Prospects
Baseball is making a resurrection in Puerto Rico with the return of Winter
Baseball after a one year sabbatical. The stars have still not returned to
play, but when players are making the kind of money major leaguers are
making, it is hard to justify risking injury for a secondary league. The
Puerto Rican Baseball Academy is also giving the youths more of an
opportunity to play the game.
There is also one of the first rounds of the WBC being played in Puerto Rico.
That should also build some excitement as the best players in the world
descend upon San Juan. The Puerto Rican baseball team has a good shot of
advancing to the second round, and if they do that will be a big plus.
Below is myworld's top ten Puerto Rican prospects list. It was much tougher
to identfy all "Puerto Ricans" since some players born in Puerto Rico may
have played their high school ball in Miami.
1. Ivan DeJesus Jr, SS (Dodgers) - If his name sounds familiar it is because
his dad played for a number of years in the major leagues. His son should
have a better bat. With Rafael Furcal recently signed to a long term
contract the Dodgers may choose to move him to second to get his bat in the
lineup. His power numbers have increased as he has advanced, which could be
a result of him getting stronger, going from 0 to 1 to 4 to 7. Eventually,
he may settle into the double figure zone. No one has a problem with his
defense at short.
2. Neftali Soto 3B (Reds) - Brandon Waring became expendable with the
development of Soto in the Reds system. Soto broke Juan Gonzalez youth
homerun record in Puerto Rico and combines excellent hand-eye coordination
with a wicked swing. For as hard a swing as he has you would expect less
contact, but his K numbers are low. He still struggles to excel at the
nuances of the position such as charging bunts so he may have to eventually
have to move to the outfield.
3. Angel Morales OF (Twins) - Angel slugged .623 his second year and should
get his first opportunity for full season ball in 2009. His 15 homeruns led
the Appalachian, which is a testament to his raw power. He also has good
speed and plays a solid defense in center field, so Angel is a potential five
tool player. His plus arm will make him a fit for right if as he fills out
he becomes too slow to cover the ground necessary to play centerfield. The
only reason he isn't number one on this list is his accomplishments have all
been in rookie ball and lets see what he accomplishes as he advances. He
struck out 72 times in 54 games, which is one big concern.
4. Reynaldo Navarro SS (Diamondbacks) - Reynaldo is another player who has
not advanced past rookie ball. He's a switchhitter that shows more power
from the right side but has more bat control from the left. Since his game
will not be his power he should stick to moving the ball around. He made
more errors in 2008 than he did in 2007 (28 to 38) so that is a concern.
He's still too young to move away from short so they will continue to play
him there as he debuts in a full season league in 2009.
5. Hector Correa RHP (Marlins)- The first pitcher on this list, he missed
four months last year because of a sore shoulder. Because of that, the mid
90s fastball he showed in 2007 stayed mostly in the low 90s. He also shows a
good changeup and slider as his other pitches. It will be ineresting to see
if his velocity returns in 2009 and he stays free from shoulder problems.
6. Efrain Nieves LHP (Brewers) - A product of the Puerto Rico baseball
academy, which has also increased the popularity of baseball in Puerto Rico.
Right now his fastball is not overpowering, residiing in the low 90s, but as
he gains strength it could reach the mid 90s. His out pitch now is the
changeup, but he has also shown a curveball and slider. He's always around
the plate, walking only 10 hitters in 76 innings.
7. Javier Rodriguez OF (Mets) - He's still a teenager, drafted in the second
round in 2008. His first exposure to rookie ball he only hit .193, but he
shows all five tools. Whether he can put them together will decide how far
he advances. Despite his poor average he only had 27 K's in 38 games so he
was making contact. A good spring will give the Mets confidence to start him
in low A, otherwise he will have to play in extended spring training until
the Rookie leagues begin, or Javier shows the readiness to handle low A.
8. Luis Atilano RHP (Nationals) - At 24 in 2009, he is the second oldest
player on this list. He was acquired by the Nationals in the Daryl Ward
trade and had a solid year in Potomac (2.32 ERA in 15 games, 11 starts). He
underwent Tommy John surgery at the end of 2006 and missed all but one game
in 2007. He's not overpowering, with a low 90s fastball, a slow upper 70s
curveball and a good changeup, which will be his out pitch. If he could tone
his body more the velocity could increase, but he will take another year like
2008, because that should get him a promotion to the Nationals in 2009.
9. Lou Montanez OF (Orioles) - He still has rookie eligibility so he
qualifies for this list. At one point when he played for the Cubs he was
considered one of the top prospects in the minor leagues, but his star fell
quickly. He was moved from shortstop and now plays the outfield, though his
arm is pretty soft for being a hard throwing shortstop. He had a near Triple
Crown year with Bowie, hitting .335 with 26 homeruns and 97 RBIs. This led
to a promotion to Baltimore where he will probably be no more than a fourth
outfielder. He did hit .295 in 112 at bats with three homeruns, numbers he
should not be ashamed of.
10. Luis Cruz LHP (Astros) - A 2008 draft pick, he only stands 5'9" but he
can hum the fastball in the low 90s, which is phenomenal for a kid that will
turn 19 in 2009. He throws a changeup but still hasn't developed a third
pitch. Without a third pitch he will end up settling into the bullpen, which
may be the best place for him. He did miss the final six weeks because of
elbow problems, so his innings will have to be monitored. In seven starts
last year he finished with an ERA of 2.28.
http://myworldofbaseball.com/wordpress/?p=1067
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