- SS Franklin Barreto
- 1B Matt Olson
- LHP Sean Nolin
- 3B Renato Nunez
- RHP Kendall Graveman
- SS Yairo Munoz
- LHP Dillon Overton
- 2B Chad Pinder
- 2B Joe Wendle
- 3B Matt Chapman
1. Franklin Barreto
Position: SS
DOB: 02/27/1996
Height/Weight: 5’9” 174 lbs
Bats/Throws: R/R
Drafted/Acquired: International Free Agent, 2012, Venezuela
Previous Ranking: #7 (Jays)
2014 Stats: .311/.384/.481 at short-season Vancouver (73 games)
The Tools: 5+ potential hit; 5 potential power; 6 arm; 6 run
What Happened in 2014: The 18-year-old more than held his own in a short-season assignment, offering an impressive glimpse into what the distant future can hold and showing a bit more advancement than expected in the process.
Strengths: Strong athleticism; lot of life in hands; quick and explosive stroke; barrels up fastballs with authority; innate bat-to-ball ability; sneaky present strength; power projection; drives offerings into pull-side gap well; arm for left side of infield; arm would play in CF; easy plus run; likely to maintain speed as continues to mature physically.
Weaknesses: Frame for added growth; wide present strike zone; very aggressive in the box; zealous nature; can be taken advantage of by good arms; fishes against stuff with spin; actions aren’t overly natural at short; defensive fundamentals have a ways to go; loose with setting feet; likely to move to third or outfield; game is raw in general.
Overall Future Potential: High 6; first-division player/occasional all-star
Realistic Role: 5; average major leaguer
Risk Factor/Injury History: High risk; short-season resume; 18 years old; large gap between present and future.
Bret Sayre’s Fantasy Take: The excitement with Barreto is pretty obvious, but before getting carried away, let’s not forget that he’s at least three years away from contributing to fantasy rosters. There’s no elite fantasy tool, but regardless of position, it’s tough to knock a player who could hit .280 with 15 homers and 20 steals.
The Year Ahead: Barreto is a long-legged player with high variability in the overall outcome, but the raw tools are extremely impressive. This past season he showed early progress and began to display refinement. The shortstop’s explosive hands create plenty of bat speed and drive with the ability to get the fat part of the barrel consistently on offerings. The offensive question currently resides with the approach as the 18-year-old is extremely aggressive in the box, often reacting to what is delivered to him regardless of the spot rather than bringing a definitive plan to the plate. While Barreto is very young and has room to improve this aspect, the nature of the ability to get the bat on a lot of balls can lead to being rewarded for less than ideal execution, especially at lower levels, and delay the realization that evolution is necessary. The short-term will focus on continuing to hone all aspects of Barreto’s game in a full-season assignment in 2015, where the natural ability with the bat has a good chance to mitigate extended resistance, while subtle progress in shaping the secondary skills will be the true indicator of a step forward. Some evaluators even think the end result of his development could lead him to center field.
Major league ETA: 2018
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