Exactly Who We Thought He Was
04/21/2052
On to Music City as we take a look at Eduardo Morales. Nashville acquired Puerto Rican Morales out of college via the amateur draft with the 40th overall pick in 2050. Morales garnered a $3.5M signing bonus to join the Bluebirds organization. He was 21 years old at the time.
Right-hander Morales had a future value of 50 as a center fielder with potential ratings of 5/8/7 at the time he was drafted.
This is what his official scouting report has to say:
He can flat-out fly. He has plus power potential. He profiles as an above average defensive outfielder. Morales should be an average big leaguer.
The 23 year-old Morales has a fairly extensive injury history, including a more recent predilection for back spasms, and his injury proneness is rated as 'fragile', which seems about right. Personality looks to be wholly unremarkable.
Is Morales really a center field prospect? He can play the position, but his position rating looks to be capped at a seven. His outfield range is currently sitting at 8, and arm is a 5. Career center field zone rating has hovered around zero for the most part (you know, average). He looks like he could be an above average left fielder defensively, however, a position where the weak arm won't hurt him, or his team, too much. His speed/power combo is intriguing, though one wishes for a more elite hit tool and the power hasn't really shown up in the box score yet. He looks like somebody who could fill in as a short side platoon bat or pinch hit / run coming off the bench. A team could make use of him, though his offensive stats at AAA (.257/.345/.383) haven't forced the issue for Nashville yet. Morales is ranked as highly as he has ever been, #74 on the top 100 prospects list, and is the #9 overall prospect (and # 5 position player prospect) in the Bluebirds organization.
