|
Found this on Fuentes:
Fuentes' main tool is his speed which translates to both sides of the ball. He's a plus runner with good base stealing instincts and excellent range and defense in left field or center field. He doesn't show anything in the power department, probably maxing out at 5-10 homers per year at his peak. Scouts are down on his hit tool, despite posting at least a .315 average his last two trips through the Texas League spanning nearly 600 plate appearances. A red flag there is a .381 BABIP in 2013 and .392 BABIP in 2014 at the AA level. He's a career .302 hitter in 245 AAA plate appearances though with a .310 BABIP in 2014. His arm isn't quite noodle status but it's also not a strong point in his profile, grading out anywhere from fringy to a tick below average. Overall, I believe he could handle holding down either left or center field in a starting role for a team out of contention. Going to the Royals though, Fuentes looks like a 4th outfielder and another speed option on the bench. With limited time spent in AAA, he's most likely to head to Omaha to kick off the 2015 season.
Fuentes is not a power hitter. He has never hit more than 6 home runs in a season, and his best isolated slugging percentage was just .122 this season. However, he does have some other offensive skills that appealed to the Royals. Fuentes stole 25 bases in 28 attempts in 2014, and for his career, he’s stolen 187 bases at an 80% success rate.
That speed is made even more valuable by Fuentes’ plate discipline. In the last two seasons he’s posted a cumulative walk rate of 10%, while striking out in just over 17% of his plate appearances. This means that Fuentes seems to have solid contact skills, and he can get on-base at a very respectable clip. He also tends to post above average BABIPs, likely a testament to his speed. Add all of that together, and you can see part of why the Royals would be interested.
|