2059.7 Flight School-Charlotte Prospect Report-Left Field

[Krathan]

In this edition of Flight School, we take a look at the top prospects in the Charlotte organization at the position of left field.

The top prospect on the list is almost certainly going to graduate from the list during the upcoming season. Jorge Trujillo was drafted in the 4th round in 2057 and was assigned to AA New Bern. He only played 24 games there, with a 120 wRC+, before being promoted to AAA Richmond. He actually improved at the higher level, posting a wRC+ of 124 in 61 games at the level. He spent most of 2058 in Richmond as well, slashing .343/.387/.455 in 121 games, with 33 doubles, a wRC+ of 134, and 2.93 WAR. An injury opened up a spot with the big league club and Trujillo was called up just before rosters expanded. He had 5 hits in his first 2 games but then struggled over his next 9 outings, hitting just .118 over that time. He did finish the season strong, though, with 7 hits, including 4 doubles, in 20 plate appearances over his last 6 games. Trujillo is not a good fielder at this point, with a minor league ZR of -6.52 in 218 minor league games in left field. He only played 3 innings defensively with Charlotte after being called up. The team has sent him to the development lab with a focus on his defense in hopes that he can fill more than just a potential designated hitter or pinch hitter role with the club. It is very likely he will spend at least some time, if not a lot of time, in the big leagues in 2059.

The next prospect on the list is Nour bin Bishr. He was signed as an international amateur free agent in 2054 and has spent time at the rookie, short A, and A levels the last three seasons after graduating from the team’s international complex. He was fantastic in his year with rookie level Elkins, posting a wRC+ of 157. The following year was a struggle for bin Bishr with Short A Adirondack. His wRC+ fell to 58 and he posted negative WAR in 72 games. For a variety of reasons, the team moved him up to the level A Danville Dodos in 2058. After his rough 57 season, that seemed like a risky move. By the end of June, bin Bishr was hitting only .230 through 34 games. Something changed in July and bin Bishr started hitting much better. From July 1 through the end of the season, he slashed .337/.389/.788 in 53 games. So while he ended the year with a 90 wRC+ and a WAR of just 0.5, he showed some very positive signs in the second half of the season and has momentum going into 2059, where he is likely to start at Danville once again. Like Trujillo, bin Bishr needs to work on his defense. His minor league ZR in left field is -8.08 in 221 games.

The third prospect we will discuss is Thurman Dostie. Originally acquired in a trade with Vancouver in 2057, Dostie is a better fielder than the first two prospects. He still needs to work on developing his defensive skills, but he is farther along than Trujillo or bin Bishr at this point. Since being drafted by the Mounties in 2055, Dostie has shown the ability to get on base. In 331 minor league games, Dostie has slashed .324/.393/.486, with 49 doubles, 38 home runs, a wRC+ of 137, and 6.7 WAR. He hit 10 home runs in 76 games with AAA Richmond in 2058, with an OPS of .833. He hits left handers a little better than right handers, so he may be best positioned as the short side of a platoon but he just keeps hitting at the minor league level and may eventually force the team to see if he can do the same thing in the big leagues at some point.

The final prospect on the list is 2055 7th round pick Pablo Saldana. He is the only player on this list who had a positive ZR in 2058, coming in at 3.34. Saldana spent 2058 with short A Adirondack, slashing .381/.455/.613, with 7 doubles and 9 home runs in 52 games. He posted 2.6 WAR and had a 191 wRC+ on the season. Those kinds of numbers get your name on a prospect report. If he can put up similar numbers at a higher level in 2059 then he would move higher on the list. Scouts don’t think that’s likely, but we’ll be watching him to see what he does.

[BaseClogger]

They're all pretty bad baserunners in addition to the fielding challenges. That's something that really bit me last season and I'm trying to pay more attention to.

[Krathan]

That’s very true. I don’t love that but aim considering using the dev lab to help with that over time where needed.