By RENALDO DORSETT
Tribune Sports Reporter
rdorsett@tribunemedia.net
WITH Major League Baseball spring training underway and franchises preparing their farm systems in the minors, several Bahamian players will enter the season highly ranked by their respective franchises.
Jazz Chisholm is the highest ranked of any Bahamian prospects, listed at No.3 within the Arizona Diamondbacks franchise.
Injuries cut short Chisholm's debut season in Single A baseball with the Kane County Cougars in the Midwestern League's Western Division last year.
He played in just 29 games - hit .248 with, three stolen bases, slugging .358, an on-base percentage of .325, an OPS of .683, 12 RBI and one home run.
Pundits expect his numbers to return to form after a full recovery.
According to MLB Prospect Watch: "After shaking off a slow April with a hot start to May, Chisholm tore his right meniscus, ending his season.
Chisholm's knee is fine and he was back in time to participate at the organisation's instructs in the Dominican Republic last fall. He has a ton of offensive potential to tap into, with the ability to impact the baseball consistently and plenty of raw power.
He needs to keep refining his approach from the left side of the plate and it looked like he was making strides in that regard, raising his OPS by over 300 points over the 10 games in May last year before he got hurt. The D-backs are hopeful those improvements carry over to 2018 and with a better approach, more over-the-fence power should follow.
There is little question Chisholm can stay at shortstop, with good hands and actions to go along with enough arm for the premium position. As a kid from the Bahamas who didn't face a ton of top-notch competition, Chisholm could take longer to learn the approach necessary to tap into his raw tools. The D-backs are hopeful a healthy 2018 will help move him in the right direction."
In rookie play, he earned a spot in the Pioneer League vs. Northwest League All Star Game. He appeared in 62 games for the Missoula Ospreys and in 249 at bats, he hit .281 with nine home runs, 37 RBI and 13 stolen bases. He finished with a slugging percentage of .446 and OPS of .779.
Kristian Robinson is ranked No.12 by the Diamondbacks headed into his rookie season.
Robinson was the team's top international signee last July. He signed the most lucrative deal of any Bahamian player this international signing period when he reached an agreement near $2.55m.
Baseball America had Robinson ranked at No.9 among international prospects, while MLB Pipeline had him listed at No.15, the highest ranked of the group of Bahamians.
The 6'3", 195-pound outfielder joined a Diamondbacks organisation that already includes fellow Bahamians, Chisholm and DJ Collie.
"The D-backs love his physicality and potential to tap into his considerable raw power. He showed a pretty good understanding of the strike zone with some plate discipline already, especially given his age and lack of experience, and the D-backs know there will be a learning curve in terms of recognizing breaking and offspeed stuff. Robinson has enough speed to stay in centre, but there's the chance he'll outgrow the spot, in which case he'll fit nicely in a corner.
The D-backs are preaching patience and caution when talking about Robinson, noting that coming from the Bahamas isn't the same as coming from a place like the Dominican Republic in terms of experience. They see Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts as a potential model, one who played in the Dominican Summer League for his first summer of pro ball."
Lucius Fox comes in at No.7 on the prospect list for the Tampa Bay Rays.
Fox was assigned to the Charlotte Stone Crabs at the Single A-Advanced level in July. In 30 games with the club, he hit .235 with a .608 OPS, .350 OBP, one home run, three stolen bases, 12 RBI and 19 runs scored. The 20-year-old shortstop spent the previous 77 games with the Bowling Green Hot Rods of the Midwest League at the Single A-Full level. For the Hot Rods, Fox hit a career-best .278 and ranked third in the Midwest League with 27 stolen bases. He also ranks second on the team with 45 runs scored, collected 27 RBI and totaled a .362 OBP and a .722 OPS with two runs.
"Fox is a top-flight athlete with plus-plus speed and three more tools that should be at least solid. The switch-hitter profiles as a future leadoff-type hitter, as he employs a solid approach, produces line-drive contact from both sides of the plate and knows how to use his impressive wheels once on base. Fox won't offer much in the way of over-the-fence power, but he does have some strength and can drive some balls to the gaps, making him a source of doubles and triples," Prospect Watch said. "Fox's range, quick hands and arm fit easily at shortstop, though, like any young shortstop, he needs to fine-tune his game and learn the nuances of the position. Some scouts don't love his middle-infield actions and think he'll fit better in centre field, though the Ray believe he can stay at short, lauding his super athleticism and ability to learn quickly."
Fox was also featured in the annual showcase of Major League Baseball's top minor league prospects during the midseason All-Star classic.
Fox drove in one RBI, but his Futures World team fell one run short in their rally and a 7-6 loss to team USA at the 2017 SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game,
Trent Deveaux begins his career listed as the No. 24 prospect in the Los Angeles Angles organisation.
"Deveaux officially makes his debut in 2018 and immediately becomes the fastest player in the system, with pure 80 speed on the 20-to-80 scouting scale. He's already gotten bigger and taller in the last year and while he has a long way to go in terms of gaining strength, there could be plus raw power to unlock eventually. Then it will come down to his hit tool. He'll need to cut down on his swing some and refine his approach like any 17-year old, though he does have a decent idea of the strike zone at such a young age. There's also the potential to be an elite-level defender in centre field, with plus range and a strong arm to boot.
"More than anything, Deveaux just needs to go out and play so he can start sharpening his considerable tools. The Angels think he's at the high end of the athleticism scale, in a top tier with 2017 first-rounder Jo Adell, and watching him develop should be an exciting storyline."
Deveaux was ranked at No.19 by Baseball America heading into the International Signing Period.
In July he signed a $1.2 million dollar deal with the Angels, entering the organisation as one of it's most coveted signings of the period.
According to MLB scouting, to be eligible for the lists, a player must have rookie eligibility. To qualify for rookie status, a player must not have exceeded 130 at-bats or 50 innings pitched in the Major Leagues, or accumulated more than 45 days on the active roster of a Major League club or clubs during the 25-player limit period, excluding time on the disabled list.
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