The next New York Yankees prospect that we will be taking a look at is one that I’m very excited to watch progress. This prospect raised a lot of eyebrows when he only struck out one time in 115 plate appearances in the 15U Cuban National League. That prospect would be the dynamic infielder, Carlos Verdecia. Verdecia has poise at the plate that I like to see from such a young kid. Verdecia just turned 18-years-old back in March, but his maturity at the plate for surpasses his age. Last year, Verdecia made his professional debut in the Dominican Summer League for the DSL Yankees. It was going to be a question on how well he’d be able to still make contact seeing professional action. Verdecia did not disappoint in his first professional season.
2019 season with the DSL Yankees
Verdecia appeared in 28 games for the DSL Yankees back in 2019. In those 28 games, Verdecia had 100 plate appearances where he hit .280 and had an OBP of .415. As I mentioned, his plate discipline was really the thing to watch for in his first season. Well, Verdecia actually walked more times than he struck out. In those 100 plate appearances, Verdecia walked 22 times while he only struck out 19 times. Another thing about Verdecia is that he has pretty decent speed. He was successful in 12 of is 17 steal attempts last season. At this stage, Verdecia is not much of a power threat at the plate. He didn’t hit one home run, but you should see an increase in power as he continues to fill out his 5’11 frame. Verdecia spent the majority of his time at second-base last season, but is currently projected as a shortstop prospect.
Development moving forward
Moving forward, I think Verdecia just needs to continue to add strength. I think his approach is already fantastic, but I would like to see him add just a little more pop. Verdecia looks really smooth at second, but the Yankees seemed inclined to develop him at short. He’s going to need to improve his range just a little, and be more consistent with his throwing. I really like him long-term as a second base prospect. Verdecia is a guy who is going to be under the radar, but with his approach at the plate, do not be shocked if he moves quickly through the system. To me, he projects as the kind of guy who is going to hit at all levels.