How top prospects are faring in winter leagues

December 17th, 2019

The 2020 season remains a couple months away, but there’s still baseball being played around the globe. Several offseason winter leagues are in full swing and there are plenty of top prospects, from various organizations, taking part.

Prospects from team Top 30 lists are playing in Puerto Rico, Mexico, Venezuela, Australia and the Dominican Republic, but this article is only going to focus on a few of those players -- those who have really stood out with their performances so far.

Here’s a look at some of the top prospect performers from the various winter leagues:

Jazz Chisholm, SS (Puerto Rico), Marlins No. 4: Chisholm got off to a slow start this season, batting .204 through 89 games with Double-A Jackson. However, after the D-backs traded him to the Marlins at the Trade Deadline, Chisholm picked up the pace and hit .284 over the final 23 games of the season. The 21-year-old carried that momentum with him into the offseason, where he’s hitting .286 through 11 games. Chisholm, who has homered once, has also driven in eight runs during that span and is 2-for-2 in stolen base attempts.

Lewin Diaz, 1B (Dominican Republic), Marlins No. 12: Diaz set career highs for both homers (27) and RBIs (76) this season and is showing that it wasn’t a fluke. Diaz, whom the Marlins acquired from the Twins in late July, has long had impressive raw power, but wasn’t always able to tap into it in games. Well, that appears to be changing and after a solid season in the U.S., Diaz is tied for seventh with 20 RBIs and is hitting .276 with three homers and 10 extra-base hits through 29 games in the Dominican Republic.

Mario Feliciano, C (Puerto Rico), Brewers No. 8: Feliciano, who was drafted (2016) out of the Carlos Beltran Baseball Academy in Puerto Rico, has fared well so far this winter. The 21-year-old hasn’t hit for much power, but he’s batting .279 and has drawn five walks, while striking out nine times, through 18 games (61 at-bats). Those numbers match up pretty well with Feliciano’s scouting report as he’s shown a “good feel for the barrel and the ability to make hard contact to all fields.”

Monte Harrison, OF (Puerto Rico), Marlins No. 5: A couple of stints on the injured list limited Harrison to just 58 games this season, so the 24-year-old is looking to make up for lost time and accumulate some extra at-bats over the winter. Harrison, a toolsy outfielder with tremendous potential, has been making the most of his winter league experience, batting .300 through 16 games. Harrison has struck out 16 times over 50 at-bats and has also racked up four doubles and four RBIs.

Vimael Machin, 2B (Puerto Rico), A’s: Machin is the newest member of the Athletics’ farm system and is certainly putting forth a solid first impression. The 26-year-old, whom the organization acquired last week after the Phillies selected Machin in the Rule 5 Draft, has been on fire in Puerto Rico, where he’s hitting .349 with six RBIs and eight extra-base hits through 19 games. Machin, a 10th-round pick from the 2015 Draft, spent the first five seasons of his career with the Cubs and is coming off a 2019 campaign during which he hit .295/.390/.412 over 129 games and reached the Triple-A level late in the season.

Emmanuel Rivera, 3B (Puerto Rico), Royals No. 19: Rivera has been raking since arriving in Puerto Rico following a bit of a down season (.258/.297/.345) in his debut with Double-A Northwest Arkansas (131 games). Rivera, who has a reputation as a solid hitter, has shown that this winter. The 23-year-old is second in the league with 28 hits through 22 games and is batting .326 with three homers and 14 RBIs. Rivera has also shown impressive plate discipline and command of the strike zone, having struck out just nine times over 86 at-bats.

Jose Siri, OF (Dominican Republic), Reds No. 15: Siri has struggled with consistency throughout his career and the same appears to be happening in winter ball. The 24-year-old is loaded with tools and full of potential, but is hitting just .194 through 30 games. However, Siri has also flashed his impressive skillset at the plate and is in second in the league with six homers and tied for second with 24 RBIs.

Edmundo Sosa, INF (Dominican Republic), Cardinals No. 14: Sosa, who put together a solid season with Triple-A Memphis that resulted in a September callup, has continued to hit well this winter. After batting .291/.335/.466 through 118 games with Memphis, Sosa is hitting .283 with three homers and 14 RBIs through 41 games in winter ball. His 47 hits are also good enough for third (tied) in the Dominican Republic.