Prospect Profile: Franklin Barreto

Hi everybody! Pleased to announce that I have received a job writing at The Runner Sports, and will be covering the Oakland Athletics as the team writer there. Baseball MTJAG will continue, but probably at a lesser frequency. Several posts from TRS will also be reposted here. This is my first piece for TRS, enjoy!

***

Many Oakland A’s fans have watched the Blue Jays perform in the postseason in agony. Led by former A’s fan favorite Josh Donaldson, the Jays have taken off and made the ALCS in the last two years, while Oakland has sat on the outside looking in. No reminder needed, but Donaldson was also the MVP in 2015, while Brett Lawrie and Sean Nolin flopped for the green and gold. No doubt has the trade been a failure so far, as fans have lamented, but it is time to move on. Especially since the top prospect received in that deal is on the rise, climbing the organizational ladder on the road to the show. This trade can still pan out in the long run, and the lofty expectations are resting on the shoulders of young shortstop Franklin Barreto. In his profile here at TRS, we will break down his 5 tools.

Name: Franklin Barreto

Position: SS, 2B, CF

Height: 5'10''

Weight: 190

B/T: Right/Right

ETA: 2017

Hit: Present: 40 | Future: 55 | Max: 65

Barreto has tremendous feel to hit and can spray the ball to all fields. He hasn't struck out a ton in the minors, with a K-rate below 20% in each of the last 3 seasons. According to MLBfarm, he has a propensity of driving the ball to the opposite gap, demonstrating his ability to go with the pitch and not be a dead pull hitter. Barreto has all the tools to become a plus hitter, but the only thing holding back his hit tool is the over-agressive approach. Going forward, pitchers may start exploiting this approach, which could lead to an uptick in strikeouts. 

Heat map courtesy of MLBfarm. Note the evenly balanced outfield spray.


To read the rest of this article, please continue here!