2062.80 Charlotte Prospect Watch-Center Field

[Krathan]

This is the seventh article in my series looking at the top prospects in my organization. This article will cover my center field prospects.

1 The top prospect on the list is Christos Bouzios. He was taken in the eleventh round of the 2058 draft. He then struggled through two seasons of rookie ball (84 wRC+) before moving up to short A, where he improved at the plate (98 wRC+). He posted 3.8 WAR in 141 games at short A before spending 2062 in A ball with Danville. Bouzios put together a great year as a 22 year old, slashing .304/.359/.432, with 36 doubles, 2 triples, and 5 home runs. He finished with a wRC+ of 115 and 5.3 WAR. He put up 19.94 ZR with a 1.089 Eff. His defensive ratings are 8 range, 7 error, and 6 arm. Offensively, he has not yet reached his potentials of 5/6/2/5 but has made progress toward them.

2 The second prospect on this list is Leon Rojas. He was taken in the 11th round of the 2060 draft and has spent 3 seasons at the rookie level. Rojas has shown some positive development trends but does have a long way to go in order to reach his potentials of 6/7/2/5. He could also stand to develop as an outfielder as well, with 8 range, 4 error, and 7 arm. He is 19 years old and has a great baseball IQ. However, there are some questions about his work ethic. The left handed batter has struggled to find consistency at the plate with a wRC+ of just 69 in 192 games in Richmond. His fielding has improved statistically each year.

3 The next prospect on this list is Hamdan bin Saleh. He became part of the organization when he signed a minor league contract after the 2060 season. The 26 year old is a switch hitter who is better from the left side. He is close to his potential ratings of 6/7/3/4 and has good defensive skills that would allow him to play any outfield position and some infield positions. He only has 8 range, so it would be helpful if he could bump that up. He split his time between AA and AAA in 2061 but spent the entire 2062 season in Richmond. He slashed .286/.318/.423 with 34 doubles, 8 tripes, and 6 home runs. He played excellent defense in right field and good defense in center.

4 The final prospect on the list is Benedicto Cruz. He was taken in the third round of the 2061 draft and played well at the rookie level that year with a 143 wRC+. He spent 2062 at the short A level but struggled to get into an offensive groove, ending the year with a wRC+ of 75. He just turned 19 and has potential ratings of 5/6/5/4. His outfield range of 8, error of 5, and arm of 6 mean that he could play some center at the big league level but would be better if he could get a bump in that area. He has very good speed and is an excellent baserunner. Cruz has a chance to be a good player if he can hit his potential and get a bump or two.

[RonCo]

It's a double Benedicto Sighting!

[Krathan]

It's a double Benedicto Sighting!

Oops! I’ll fix that