2059.8 Flight School-Charlotte Prospect Report-Center Field

[Krathan]

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

The top center field prospect is Hector Ruiz. He was drafted in the 1st round in 2058 and split time between the rookie and short A levels. Ruiz played 42 games in Elkins, slashing .240/.329/.426, with 13 extra base hits, 7 stolen bases, and a wRC+ of 112. He didn’t hit the ball with as much authority or draw as many walks with Adirondack, slashing .247/.299/.360 in 30 games with a wRC+ of just 69. His defense was a similar story, as he posted a ZR of 2.89 and Eff of 1.042 in rookie ball, but lower numbers of -0.4 and 1.0114 at short A. He will turn 18 before the next season starts and the team is hoping to see him move closer to his potential over the next couple of years. His pro debut was encouraging but the club will want to see growth in his second year.

The second prospect on the list is Andy Harris, who was taken in the 13th round of the 2058 draft. Harris started the season at level A Adirondack and put up gaudy numbers, slashing .383/453/.517 in 55 games. He was then promoted to A ball and performed solidly with a 98 wRC+ in 18 games. He will likely start the year with Danville in 2059. Defensively, Harris may be more suited to play a corner outfield position rather than center but if he can get a little bump in range, he could potentially settle into center field long term. At this point, he will see most of his playing time in center as the team would like to see him develop there.

The next prospect we will discuss is Miguel Lussier. He was originally drafted in the 4th round of the 2055 draft by Rocky Mountain and then traded to Charlotte in late 2057. Lussier put together a solid season at Elkins in 2058, slashing .278/.323/.522, with 9 doubles, 11 home runs, and 29 RBI in 49 games. He posted 1.9 WAR and a wRC+ of 133. After a rough year in 2057, it was good to see him rebound to play more like he did in 2056. Lussier has played solid defense in center field so far in the minors, posting a 2.09 ZR there in 22 games 2058 while also playing 28 games in left field, posting a 2.98 ZR there. The team still seems to be deciding whether to leave Lussier in Elkins for another year or move him up to short A Adirondack. He also did some pitching in the Rocky Mountain system but has not done so for Charlotte.

The fourth prospect on the list is John Hoffman. He is the oldest player on this list and will start the 2059 season as a 26 year old. He was acquired in a trade with Atlantic City during the 2056 season. Hoffman started at short A once arriving in Charlotte. 2056. The next season, he started at A and moved to AA. He spent the entire 2058 season in AA. In 211 games at the AA level, Hoffman has slashed .269/.336/.325 with 24 doubles and 19 stolen bases. He has also been caught stealing 23 times over that span. Hoffman has posted 2.2 WAR in those 211 games. As a minor leaguer, Hoffman has played 498 games in center field with a ZR of 11.44. Hoffman will need to impress the front office soon if he ever wants to find his way to the big leagues but with the right bump, he could maybe get there.

The final prospect is Alfred Berry. He was selected in the 7th round of the 2058 draft and played 19 games for Elkins. He had an OPS of 1.043 in his short stint with the rookie league club and then moved up to play 43 games for short A Adirondack. He slashed .288/.338/.389 there. He played solid defense in both center and left with Adirondack. We will be keeping an eye on him in the upcoming year.