BBB 2017 Top Prospect Countdown #4: Jorge Mateo
Although
MLB.com ranked Aaron Judge a few spots ahead of Jorge Mateo on their top-100
prospect list, we have it the other way around. The 21-year old middle infielder
has eye popping raw ability. He did slip just a bit on the prospects top-100
list from 2016 to now, but be ready for a monster campaign where he ends up
significantly higher heading into the 2018 season.
As
I mentioned in the introduction, Mateo slipped a bit on everyone’s top prospect
list and that’s because of his subpar offensive 2016 season. After hitting .274
or better from 2013-’15, Mateo dipped down to .254 last season. Not only did
his average dip, so did his on-base percentage while his strikeouts spiked to
108 in 113 games.
The
strikeouts can be problematic seeing how his best attribute is his speed. We’ve
seen guys with next level speed struggle with the inability to put the ball in
play like Billy Hamilton and not have much success at the major league level.
Seeing how Mateo is just 21-years young, he has the time on his side to work on
cutting down on the strikeouts. I don’t think we can mention how fast he truly
is enough, but his 82 stolen bases in 2015 does it justice.
Projection
Mateo
has a lot of work to do as I alluded to already, but he’s poised for a big campaign
in 2017. Mateo is likely going to spend most of his time at Double-A but could
play his way into some time at Triple-A later in the year.
Being
on the 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule-5 Draft, we should also see
Mateo as a September call-up, barring any injuries. We saw how speedsters like
Rico Noel helped the Bombers with his late-inning speed on the base paths in
crucial games stealing five bases in his short time with the team, so expect to
see more of that with Mateo this season. While he may not see many at-bats or
starts, he should be on the bases late in games when hitters who lack speed on
on base.
Mateo
still has a lot of growing to do as second and third basemen as well. The Yankees haven’t
bagged the idea of him playing shortstop going forward, but with the young
phenom Gleyber Torres also manning the same position, it’ll be hard for him to
ever see the field when the two players are ready to make the leap to the big
leagues. With his speed, the Yankees will also look to pin him in center field
to see if he is able to run balls down as a utility player.
MLB
comparison: Jose Reyes
We’re
not sure how good Mateo will turn out, but if he ever reaches peak Jose Reyes,
the Yankees will be in really good shape. Mateo and Reyes have similar
skillsets even though Reyes is more gifted putting the ball in play and was
blessed with a cannon for an arm.
Written
by: James Grande
Follow @The_Real_GrandeFollow @BronxBomberBlog
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