Andy Ibanez, 2B, Texas Rangers
Who Is He?
Ibanez was an intriguing signing last offseason as he seemed to fly under the radar for many teams behind guys like Yoan Moncada and Hector Olivera, and he ended up not signing for quite a while due to that.
He profiles as a guy with a very good ability to make contact, with very good gap power. Probably the best way to think of him is someone like Dustin Pedroia being his very top end as far as power projection. He’ll probably top out around 15 home runs, but he could definitely be a guy who hits 30+ doubles with his smooth, steady swing and good eye for barreling up pitches.
Ibanez was assigned to low-A Hickory to start the season, and it’s looking like he won’t be there for very long. Even with a recent “slump”, he’s hitting .341/.433/.563 with 17 doubles, which is as many as anyone in major or minor league baseball has, 4 triples, and 6 home runs. He’s also stolen 6 bases.
Ibanez has less-than-ideal size at 5’10 and 170 pounds, and without the range to play shortstop, he profiled best at second base, but so far in the games I’ve seen, he has a very solid glove at the position, so he should handle it quite well, which works out good seeing as the current Rangers second baseman seems to want an MMA career more than a baseball one! (I kid, I kid!)
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