Baseball Prospectus | | Eyewitness Scouting Report


	Adalberto Mondesi Born: 07/27/1995 (Age: 19)
	Bats: Switch	Throws: Right
	Height: 6' 1"	Weight: 200
	Primary Position: SS

Listed height/weight are accurate; maintained build throughout season and possible has gotten more physically mature; plus-plus athlete; room for more strength and good weight.

Evaluator	CJ Wittmann
Report Date	08/20/2014
Dates Seen	20 G July-August
Affiliate	Wilmington Blue Rocks (High A, Royals)

MLB ETA	Risk Factor	OFP	Video
2016	High; 19 y	65	No

Tool	Future Grade	Report
Hit	60	Left side: small hand drift in load (has been toned down since early in season); hands starting further back towards back shoulder now; plus-plus bat speed; innate bat-to-ball skills; swing has slight natural lift through hitting zone; short path to the ball with two-handed finish; will use the opposite field and loves going to left-center; often makes loud contact; can get tied up inside at times; has some swing and miss within the strikezone. Note: Early in season, off balanced swings occurred often against spin down in the zone. Has made adjustments and is much more balanced throughout swing resulting in hard contact often. Right side: overall quiet setup; plus-plus bat speed; swing is more linear with less lift; presently uses the right side more than early in season; becoming consistent in making hard contact against velocity; shows feel for the barrel. From both sides of the plate, shows an advanced approach for age; comes up with a plan and will adjust to the situation; plate discipline and idea of strike zone is plus; identifies spin early and tracks ball deep into the hitting zone, stays balanced throughout swing; has shown the ability to barrel quality spin and velocity much better than first half of season.
Power	50	Present gap power due to dimensions of the park; shows ability to backspin the ball in BP; power comes from bat speed and lift along with ability to barrel the ball; gets great post contact extension with balls on outer half; more HR power coming with added strength. Note: early in season, off balance swings led to weak contact and power numbers were done; new setup and balance along with advanced approach, allow Mondesi to get into more hitters counts. Power surge has come of late as a result.
Baserunning/Speed	70	added strength has helped; maintained speed throughout the year; still learning to use the speed as a weapon on the basepaths; needs refinement in reading pickoff moves and timing pitchers. swing allows him to get out of the box clean and accelerate; long, graceful strides; 2nd gear is near elite; 3.8-3.9 on jailbreak bunts from both sides; 4.0 range on ground ball from right side; has made great strides on making good reads on balls in play; will stay athletic as he grows.
Glove	65	smooth actions, shows all shortstop traits; extremely soft hands; great reactions off the bat with quick first step; great quick twitch athlete; range is plus-plus; can make backhand pick in the hole; plus instincts on the field; lightening quick transfer from glove to hand; collects himself well when throwing on the run; presently a 60 but with reps could even get better.
Arm	55	Strong throws from all places; ball has carry and is delivered on a line; made deep throw in the hole to 1B; fast arm with clean arm action; added strength has helped; shows plus arm strength but accuracy can vary; knows when to use all of "it" and when to be accurate; 55 game utility.

I have watched Mondesi throughout the season and he has shown flashes of all different types of a player. There were spells where he looked lost and could end up being a below average regular but there was also times when he showed he could be a perrenial all-star. I'm not worried about Mondesi's stat line for this season; he played most of the year as the youngest player in the Carolina League and all of High-A. I was concerned early in season when Mondesi was struggling and his complete game was being effected by it. A strikeout would lead to an error which would lead to something else. Over my 20 game sample from Mid-July til now, Mondesi has shown great improvement. His swing has taken strides forward along with his approach, which was already advanced for his age. Offspeed down in the strikezone gave Mondesi headaches early in the season and he would take ugly, off balance cuts and look foolish at times. Over the past month, it is obvious he has been working with hitting coach Milt Thompson and the adjustments have shown. While there still is a bit of swing and miss still in Mondesi's game, he has shown consistent feel for the barrel and the balance in his swing lets the ball travel deep into the hitting zone. As of late, Mondesi has been letting the ball get deep knowing he has the bat speed and hand-eye coordination to crush mistakes along with hitting good pitchers' pitches. These adjustments are something I look forward to seeing in Mondesi's game for the foreseeable future and is what will make him a special player.