Prospects Get the Call: Gregory Polanco

The time has finally come for Gregory Polanco to make his big league debut. There were rumors about a week ago that Polanco was coming up to the big leagues, but those proved to be false, but the MLB Roster Moves Twitter account announced the move, which only announces moves after they become final.

Polanco played winter ball in the Dominican Republic where he earned both MVP and Rookie of the Year honors. After playing really well in Spring Training, there were some rumblings he might break camp with the team, but ultimately he was sent to Triple-A.

In Triple-A Indianapolis this year Polanco has hit .347/.405/.540 with seven home runs and five triples in 62 games. His minor league career average is .287 and he has reached base at a .358 clip.

Polanco is a rare mix of size, speed, and strength. He is 6’4” and 220 lbs. while still just 22 years old. He has stolen as many as 40 bags in a season, and while his best power season netted him 16 home runs, he has more power potential than speed.

He has the arm to play a premier right field, but has the speed and defensive instincts to star in center field. The most strikeouts he has posted in a single season was 73, last year, over three levels, but he did draw 52 walks.

While his game is very advanced, his swing does get long at times. Strikeouts have never been a real issue for him, but there could be a spike early in his career. He can also swing for the fences too often, rather than hitting the ball in the gap and take advantage of his speed.

Polanco has the chance to be a real superstar who can hit leadoff, or hit in the middle of the order, and play gold glove caliber defense. He has the chance to make an immediate impact and the learning curve should not be as big of a struggle for him as it has been for some other highly touted prospects.