- SS Willy Adames
- C Justin O’Conner
- RHP Alex Colome
- SS Adrian Rondon
- RHP Brent Honeywell
- RHP Nate Karns
- RHP Taylor Guerrieri
- 1B Casey Gillaspie
- OF Justin Williams
- LHP Blake Snell
1. Willy Adames
Position: SS
DOB: 09/02/1995
Height/Weight: 6’1” 180 lbs
Bats/Throws: R/R
Drafted/Acquired: International Free Agent, 2012, Dominican Republic
Previous Ranking: NR
2014 Stats: .271/.353/.429 at Low-A West Michigan/Bowling Green (125 games)
The Tools: 5+ potential hit; 5 potential glove; 5+ potential power; 5+ arm
What Happened in 2014: The teenage shortstop put together a solid debut season stateside in A-Ball, where he held his own against more advanced competition, and also added being traded for David Price to his resume.
Strengths: Lean muscle; maturing body; strong legs; keeps hands in good hitting position during stride; generates plus bat speed; barrels up offerings into both gaps; flashes solid bat control; stays inside of ball; can learn how to muscle up and tap into strength; arm for left side of the infield; soft hands; shows feel for game at early age.
Weaknesses: Agility and quickness are only average; not the most natural player at shortstop; likely to lose some foot speed as he matures physically; could potentially slide to third or second; lunges at secondary offerings; tends to guess in counts leading to in-zone miss; may need to sacrifice power to sustain contact against higher quality arms; overall tool set is more solid average than plus.
Overall Future Potential: 6; first-division player
Realistic Role: 5; average major-leaguer
Risk Factor/Injury History: High; yet to reach upper levels; hit-tool translation.
Bret Sayre’s Fantasy Take: Adames had a coming out party in fantasy leagues when he was the only prospect piece in the David Price deal, and it’s only continuing every time he’s ranked atop this admittedly weak system. Now might be a good time to cash in on him, as his fantasy upside could be similar to Jhonny Peralta, at peak, and he’s a good three years away from contributing with a lot of development ahead of him.
The Year Ahead: It was a successful stateside debut for the Dominican international signee, but also one that saw change midstream. Adames was the lone prospect acquired in the deadline deal that saw Tampa send long-time ace David Price to Detroit, and the 19-year-old immediately ascends to the forefront of this system. While the on-paper potential of each individual tool is more average to solid average, it’s about the composition of the skillset and the way it meshes together that makes this profile a potential first-division player. Adames flashes feel for hitting at an early age largely driven by his plus bat speed and the looseness of his hands. The shortstop gets the head of the bat to the point of contact efficiently to barrel up offerings hard into both gaps. His approach and the manner in which he attacks breaking balls need refinement, but there’s already maturity in his game that points to the ability to continue to adjust. The potential of the package does hinge on the premise that the prospect can stick up the middle, which isn’t a foregone conclusion. Evaluators are mixed on whether further physical gains—especially in the lower body—are going to slow him down enough to where a move makes the most sense, but for now he’s showing to be capable of handling the position and getting better. Adames is ready for the next step up the ranks, where an assignment in the Florida State League will be a good test to show that both the bat and glove are taking the next step forward.
Major league ETA: Late 2017
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