Written by: John Calvagno (@SALNotes)

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Hey guys! In my Prospects 365 debut piece, I wanted to shine a light on some unheralded teenage prospects who played at a level less than Low-A last season.

Below, I take a look at young prospects who posted an ISO of .160 or better and no worse than a 2/1 strikeout-to-walk ratio, with a minimum of 75 plate appearances at a level. The goal is to find some hidden gems, while also celebrating the stars, like Marco Luciano and his crazy .294 ISO as a 17-year-old.

This list is sorted by league and by age. ISO is the tie breaker.

New York Penn League (Short Season A)

C) Nathan Perry- (Astros) Age 20

Listed 6’2″ 195 lbs, bats left and throws right. He was drafted in the 5th round of the 2017 draft, out of High School in Bassett, VA (45 miles S of Roanoke). He posted a .218 ISO with a 13% BB and 23% K in 274 plate appearances as a 19-year-old.

Northwest League (Short Season A)

CF/RF) Kristian Robinson- (Diamondbacks) Age 19

Listed 6’3″ 190 lbs, bats and throws right. He was a high profile signee out of the Bahamas in 2017, signing for $2.55 million. He posted a .239 ISO with a 12% BB and 24% K in 189 plate appearances as an 18-year-old.

Appalachian League (Advanced Rookie Ball)

C) Francisco Alvarez- (Mets) Age 18

Listed 5’11” 220 lbs, bats and throws right. He was a high profile signee out of Venezuela in 2018, receiving $2.47 million. He posted a .161 ISO with a 11% BB and 22% K in 151 plate appearances as a 17-year-old.

RF) Jhon Torres- (Cardinals) Age 20

Listed 6’4″ 199 lbs, bats and throws right. He was signed by the Indians out of Colombia in 2016. Torres was traded to the Cardinals alongside Conner Capel in the Oscar Mercado deal. He posted a .241 ISO with a 14% BB and 27% K in 133 plate appearances as a 19-year-old.

Pioneer League (Advanced Rookie Ball)

Many had the requisite ISO, but no one also met the 2/1 strikeout-to-walk ratio requirement.

Gulf Coast League (Rookie Ball)

SS) Orelvis Martinez – (Jays) Age 18

Listed 6’1″ 188 lbs, bats and throws right. He was signed out of the Dominican Republic in 2018, receiving the second largest J2 bonus of the class at $3.5 million. He posted a .274 ISO with a 9% BB and 18% K in 162 plate appearances as a 17-year-old.

CF) Johan Rojas- (Phillies) Age 19

Listed 6’1″ 165 lbs, bats and throws right. He was signed out of the Dominican Republic in 2018. He posted a .216 ISO with a 11% BB rate and 12% K in 84 plate appearances as an 18-year-old, which earned him a quick promotion to the New York Penn League.

2B) Curtis Mead- (Rays) Age 19

Listed 6’2″ 171 lbs, bats and throws right. He was signed out of Australia by the Phillies in 2018. This offseason, he was traded to the Rays (alarm sounds) for LHP Cristopher Sanchez. He posted a .177 ISO with a 7% BB rate and 13% K in 151 plate appearances as an 18-year-old.

3B) Ceddanne Rafaela- (Red Sox) Age 19

Listed 5’8″ 145 lbs, bats and throws right. He was signed out of Curaçao in 2017. He posted a .176 ISO with a 8% BB and 16% K in a 176 plate appearances as an 18-year-old.

C) Yoandy Rea- (Tigers) Age 19

Listed 6′ 165 lbs, bats and throws right. He was signed out of Venezuela in 2017. He posted a .253 ISO with a 7% BB and 9% K in 106 plate appearances as a 19-year-old.

1B) Rixon Wingrove- (Phillies) Age 19

Listed 6’5″ 260 lbs, bats left and throws right. He was signed out of Australia in 2018. He posted a .202 ISO with an 11% BB and 19% K in 203 plate appearances as a 19-year-old.

C) Endy Rodriguez- (Mets) Age 19

Listed 6′ 170 lbs, bats both and throws right. He was signed out of the Dominican Republic in 2018. He posted a .160 ISO with an 11% BB and 15% K in 89 plate appearances as a 19-year-old.

1B) Leandro Emiliani- (Nats) Age 20

Listed 6’1″ 180 lbs, bats and throws left. He was signed out of Columbia in 2017. He posted a .181 ISO with a 20% BB and 25% K in 167 plate appearances as a 19-year-old.

C) Nerio Rodriguez- (Astros) Age 20

Listed 6’2″ 205 lbs, bats and throws right. Signed out of the Dominican Republic in 2016. He posted a .179 ISO with a 17% BB and 25% K in 115 plate appearances as a 19-year-old.

2B) Edgar Made- (Phillies) Age 20

Listed 5’10” 145 lbs, bats both and throws right. He was signed out of the Dominican Republic in 2016. He posted a .176 ISO with a 7% BB and 14% K in 184 plate appearances as a 19-year-old.

RF-CF) Kenedy Corona- (Astros) Age 20

Listed 5’11” 185 lbs, bats and throws right. He was signed by the Mets out of Venezuela in 2019 and was part of the package traded to the Astros for Jake Marisnick last December. He posted a .174 ISO with a 9% BB and 14% K in 181 plate appearances as a 19-year-old.

A star-studded Arizona League (Rookie Ball)

SS) Marco Luciano- (Giants) Age 18

Listed 6’2″ 178 lbs, bats and throws right. He was a high profile signee out of the Dominican Republic in 2018, inking with San Francisco for $2.6 million. He posted a .294 ISO with a 15% BB and 22% K in 178 plate appearances as a 17-year-old.

2B) Aaron Bracho- (Indians) Age 18

Listed 5’11” 175 lbs, bats both and throws right. He was a high profile prospect out of Venezuela in 2018, signing with Cleveland for $1.5 million. He posted a .297 ISO with a 17% BB and 15% K in 137 plate appearances as an 18-year-old.

RF) Alexander Ovalles- (Rangers) Age 19

Listed 6′ 180 lbs, bats and throws left. He was signed by the Cubs out of the Dominican Republic in 2017 and was the PTBNL in the Cole Hamels trade. He looks like a nice flier. He posted a .296 ISO with a 8% BB and 14% K in 126 plate appearances as an 18-year-old.

SS) CJ Abrams- (Padres) Age 19

Listed 6’2″ 185 lbs, bats left and throws right. He was drafted 6th overall in the 2019 draft out of high school in Roswell, GA (Atlanta Metro). He posted a .261 ISO with a 7% BB and 10% K in 142 plate appearances as an 18-year-old.

CF) Corbin Carroll- (Diamondbacks) Age 19

Listed 5’10” 165 lbs, bats and throws left. He was drafted 16th overall in the 2019 draft out of high school in Seattle, WA. He posted a .162 ISO with a 18% BB and 21% K in 137 plate appearances as an 18-year-old.

3B) Luis Toribio- (Giants) Age 19

Listed 6’1″ 165 lbs, bats left and throws right. He was signed out of the Dominican Republic in 2017. He posted a .162 ISO with a 19% BB and 23% K in 234 plate appearances as an 18-year-old.

Everyone knows Marco Luciano, Kristian Robinson, C.J. Abrams, Orelvis Martinez, Aaron Bracho, Corbin Carroll, Francisco Alvarez and Jhon Torres. However, I’m hoping there’s also some sleepers here too. Take Curtis Mead, who was traded to the Rays this winter, for instance. I immediately perked up when I read that transaction. Alexander Ovalis, the player to be named lated in the Cole Hamels trade, is another example. Some new names to follow for sure.

I hope everyone is staying safe, it actually felt good to grind out this piece. I’ve gone through stretches of feeling pretty apathetic lately, particularly regarding my baseball writing. Pulling out the bicycle this weekend. I think that will help immensely. Cheers.

Follow P365 lead prospect analyst John Calvagno on Twitter! @SALNotes

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Featured image courtesy of photographer Jared Ravich and MiLB.com