Top Puerto Rican Prospects
Saturday, March 6th, 2021The major league draft has been a drain for youths who wish to play baseball in Puerto Rico. Prior to being included in the draft major league teams followed international rules and signed Puerto Rican players once they reached 16 years of age. Once Puerto Rico was included in the draft major league teams could not sign players until after they completed high school.
The challenge with that is many high schools in Puerto Rico do not play baseball. So if a youth beyond 16 wants to continue his baseball career he has to go to one of the academies. If the family does not have money that can be a drain on the pocketbook, though myworld is certain scholarships are offered to talented prospects with pay back coming once the youth signs a contract.
Last year, in the 2020 shortened five round draft no Puerto Rican was selected by major league baseball. The draft will now be chopped to twenty rounds from the traditional forty rounds. That will make it even tougher for Puerto Rican youngsters to be drafted. That is a loss for baseball, as youths now turn to soccer or basketball for their sport of choice. If not for the academies, baseball would probably be dead in Puerto Rico.
Below are the top ten prospects to watch from Puerto Rico. I could have missed someone because many Puerto Ricans now travel stateside to continue their baseball careers. Willi Castro is the only player to graduate from last year’s list. He was the third rated prospect. Edwin Rios saw some major league time.
1. Heliot Ramos OF (Giants) - I believe he may have been the last Puerto Rican drafted in the first round, selected by the Giants in 2017. Ramos has above average grades in all the tools categories, but power and a strong right field arm may be his best tools. While he has the speed to play center, it is not in the burner category, so right field could be his best fit. Much of the speed he had when drafted has been lost as he has matured and gotten bigger. The power should equate to 25-30 homeruns per year, though hitting homeruns in the Giants stadium is not easy. He did recover from a poor 2018 season when he slugged just .396. In 2019 he raised his average 45 points (.290) and his slugging average almost 100 points (.496). Expect him to make his major league debut sometime late in 2021, especially if he has a good spring.
2. Mario Feliciano C (Brewers) - Mario was the 75th player selected in the 2016 draft, a second round supplemental pick. Puerto Rico has been known for developing catchers with the Molina brothers, Sandy Alomar Jr., Ivan Rodriguez, Jorge Posada and Benito Santiago, just to name a few. Mario hopes to add his name to that list. His arm is top notch, but his bat could be even better. In 2019 his bat broke out for 19 homeruns with a .270 average. There is still too much swing and miss in his game (143 whiffs in 119 games) and he needs to improve in the other defensive areas of the game, such as pitch framing and calling a game. He played three games in AA in 2019. That may be where he starts the 2021 season with a callup possible this year. Catchers can sometimes take longer to develop so don’t expect a larger role for him until 2023.
3. Edwin Rios 3B/1B (Dodgers) - The Dodgers resigned Justin Turner, but for baseball he is at that age where he will need soe down time to rejuvenate. Expect Edwin to be that replacement. The sixth round 2015 pick saw a lot of power in 2020, with eight homeruns in just 32 games. While his slugging average reached .645 his OBA was only .301. In a brief appearance with the Dodgers in 2019 he slugged .617 with a .393 OBA. That year he also hit a career high 31 homeruns in AAA. So the power in his bat is a real threat. His defense at third can be a little awkward as might be expected from someone who is 6′3″ so his best position could be first base. If the DH arrives in the National League next year he could see a more permanent presence in the Dodgers lineup. Expect him to be with the Dodgers in 2021 playing a bench role to cover the corner infield positions.
4. Matthew Lugo SS (Red Sox) - The second round 2019 second round pick has some pretty impressive blood lines. He is the nephew of Carlos Beltran. If he can harness just half of Beltran’s production the Red Sox would consider him a success. The power genes have so far not appeared with Matthew as they did for Carlos. In his first and only minor league season in 2019 he only hit one homerun and slugged .326. The Red Sox hope the power will come as he matures. His defensive actions at short may rely more on his quickness than his speed. Matthew carries above average speed to stick at short and his arm is strong, but it will never measure up to the elite shortstops on defense. The Red Sox have Jeter Downs rated ahead of him for a middle infield spot, but with a good 2021 season Matthew could put himself on the spot light. Expect him to start the 2021 season in A ball, with a Red Sox arrival time delayed until 2023.
5. Jose DeLeon RHP (Reds) - Jose has been on this list for a number of years. It took until the 24th round for the Dodgers to draft him in 2013. That would not make him a drafted player in 2021. He was traded to the Tampa Bay Rays prior to the 2017 season but arm injuries limited his first year with the Rays and Tommy John surgery prevented him from playing in 2018. The Rays traded him to the Reds after the 2019 season. Now that he is finally healthy he could be a back end rotation piece or fill a bullpen role for the Reds in 2021. His fastball has increased a couple ticks, getting to the low end of the mid-90s spectrum. His change has been his best pitch, but with the increased velocity on his fastball there is clearer separation. A slider gives him a third pitch to be a starter. The Reds gave him five opportunities to pitch in the bullpen in 2020 but he gave up 12 runs in those six innings, walking 11 and striking out 10. At 29 years of age he needs to make the Reds pitching mix for the 2021 season or be released to the free agent market. Whether he makes the team will be dependent on his spring performance.
6. Erik Rivera LHP/OF (Angels) - The Angels love their duality. After signing Shohei Ohtani from Japan as a pitcher/hitter they have made a practice of drafting players who have the ability to pitch and hit. Erik was a fourth round pick in 2019 for his ability to both hit and pitch. With a fastball that sits in the low 90s, a big bender curveball and change his best rout to the majors may be his arm. There is power in his bat, but that comes with a lot of difficulty making contact. In 2019 he struck out 31 times in 21 games. Erik should start the 2021 season in A ball, with a more games behind the mound than at the plate.
7. Yan Contreras SS (Reds) - Yan did not get drafted until the 12th round of the 2019 draft. Right now defense is his game and the tools are there for him to stick at shortstop. The big question is whether his bat will hit enough to see the major leagues. Currently, he lacks any kind of power, but the hope is that at 6′2″ that power can be developed. In his 20 game minor league debut in 2019 he hit only .145. He did show the ability to walk with 14 and his two triples and four stolen bases in five attempts does show some game like speed. It will be a stretch for him to be a major leaguer, but 2021 will see his journey start in A ball.
8. Jivani Moran LHP (Twins) - A seventh round 2015 draft pick. His first year with the Twins they put him in the rotation, but after that most of his time has been spent in the bullpen. The strikeout numbers are very impressive, but that is not because of the velocity of his fastball. His career totals are 224 whiffs in just 158 innings. Those swings and misses can be attributed to his change that is unhittable at the minor league level. Those strikeout numbers increased at AA (13.1 per 9 innings) but his ERA sky rocketed (4.98). The big challenge will be whether his change can fool major league hitters. That test may come sometime in 2021.
9. Edwin Diaz utility (Athletics) - The 2013 15th round pick has been shuttling around the game a bit. The 2019 season could see him make his debut as a utility player for the Athletics. In 2019 he played a lot of third and short. Edwin lacks the range to play short on a consistent basis and his bat lacks the power to be a starter at third, but if you need a fill in he could be a valuable commodity to play both. His minor league career high for homeruns is 15 in 2018, but he hit 14 in 2019. His batting average can be a bit problematic, sitting in the low .200s the last couple years. The Athletics have a shortage at the middle infield position so the 2021 season will be an opportunity for Diaz to fill a role. At 25 years of age, his time is now.
10. Delvin Perez (Cardinals) - To be honest myworld could not find anyone else. Delvin was a first round pick of the Cardinals in 2016. Perez dominated in the Puerto Rican leagues, but his bat has fallen short in the minor leagues. The defensive tools are there but the bat is awfully silent. The lack of a 2020 season gave him no opportunity to improve on his paltry .325 slugging percentage in 2019. His career slugging percentage in the minor leagues since being drafted is .317. Defensively, he made 24 errors in 2019 at short and that will also need to improve. His best hope is some power develops, he gains some defensive consistency and he rises up the minor league ladder after a successful 2021 season in High A.