4. Seuly Matias, OF
Birthday (age on opening day 2018): 9/4/1998 (19)
2017 teams/levels played for: advanced rookie Burlington Royals
2017 Stats: .243/.297/.423, 246 PA, 7 HR, 2 SB, 16/72 BB/K
Info: Spending over $2 million, the Kansas City Royals signed Matias out of the Dominican in 2015. He showed very well in rookie ball in Arizona in 2016, leading the league with 8 home runs.
Moving up to advanced rookie ball as an 18 year old in 2017, Matias showed his youth and that he was still plenty raw, but he also flashed incredible raw power and athleticism on the field.
That raw talent is Matias’ calling card, as he has certainly flashed all five tools in pro ball thus far
That raw talent is Matias’ calling card, as he has certainly flashed all five tools in pro ball thus far. His biggest drawback is his polish at the plate, with a 6.5% walk rate and 29.3% strikeout rate.
Matias is still going to be just 19 to open 2018, so he has plenty of time to work on plate discipline, something he’s already made strides in already. His swing has good loft, but he does have a penchant to chase the high hard pitch, which his swing neither can maximize nor reach well. He did do much better in laying off pitches out of the zone in the lower half of the zone in 2017, so there is hope to continue improvement in his discipline at the plate.
Matias is a smooth defender, running excellent routes to balls, whether he is in center field or a corner. His plus arm likely has him ticketed for right field as his frame will likely fill out more, taking his speed from above-average to likely more average and making center field a tough spot to cover as he fills into his frame.
Matias will likely open in 2018 in full-season ball, and it will be a good test to see how he endures through the long season.
3. Khalil Lee, OF
Birthday (age on opening day 2018): 6/26/1998 (19)
2017 teams/levels played for: low-A Lexington Legends
2017 Stats: .237/.344/.430, 532 PA, 17 HR, 20 SB, 65/171 BB/K
Info: Lee got notice last season after he really impressed in rookie league after being a 3rd round draftee out of high school in Virginia. The Kansas City Royals pushed Lee to full-season ball as an 18 year old to open 2017, and while he had his times of struggle, he certainly showed well throughout the entirety of the season.
Lee has an excellent set of skills with high-end athleticism that has him easily handling center field and likely to remain there going forward. His biggest issue in 2017 was a high strikeout rate, but many who witnessed him swear that his was a rare sound heard off of the bat on the season, a unique type of sound heard from those players who truly are hitting the ball with unparalleled force.
While his longer swing path may preclude Lee from being a .300 hitter down the road, his power should continue to develop, building to a feasible plus power hitter that can stick in center field with above-average speed. That level of across-the-board skills is rare enough that the Royals will live with some swing-and-miss in the profile, especially when he was walking over 12% of the time.
Lee will take the step to high-A in 2018, and it will be intriguing to watch how he continues to progress his elite bat speed to cut down on his swing and miss and maximize his tools.
Next: #1 and #2