8. Magneuris Sierra, OF
Birthday (age on opening day 2018): 4/7/1996 (21)
2017 teams/levels played for: high-A Palm Beach Cardinals; AA Springfield Cardinals, MLB St. Louis Cardinals
2017 Stats: Minors: .270/.318/.363, 442 PA, 1 HR, 20 SB, 27/74 BB/K; Majors: .317/.359/.317, 64 PA, 2 SB, 4/14 BB/K
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Info: The Cardinals signed Sierra in 2012 out of the Dominican, and in his first stateside season, he really made a big impression, hitting .386/.434/.505 and winning the Cardinals organization player of the year in the Gulf Coast League. The Cardinals pushed him to full-season ball the next year, and that was a failure, which has led to Sierra being more of a one-step guy since.
Due to that one-step process, he started at high-A in the Florida State League, but due to his signing date, the Cardinals protected Sierra on the 40-man before the 2017 season, and he was called up for a quick promotion when the Cardinals faced a host of outfield injuries.
Sierra can play a very good center field, with excellent jumps, and he has a plus arm that allows him to hold runners well as well. If his bat struggles to develop, his glove is good enough that he could be a defense-first bench option.
The bat has taken significant steps forward since that struggle season in 2015, however, with above-average raw power, plus raw speed, and a quick swing that could lead to a solid average guy with both power and speed, though it will require him to certainly improve his pitch recognition, though he did show some solid increases in his zone recognition in 2017.
Sierra will likely open in the high minors, either in AA or AAA, but with the outfield situation in Miami wide open, he could find himself in a major league lineup if he can perform well early in the season.
7. Trevor Rogers, LHP
Birthday (age on opening day 2018): 11/13/1997 (20)
2017 teams/levels played for: none
2017 Stats: none
Info: Considered the top high school arm in the entire 2017 draft, Rogers has the projectable size (a gangly 6’6″) and stuff that leads to plenty of scouts expecting Rogers to grow into a frontline starter down the road.
plenty of scouts (expect) Rogers to grow into a frontline starter down the road
Rogers, interestingly, is a twin, but no one in his family comes near his height or his wide-shoulder, wide-hip frame. The Miami Marlins were surprised to see Rogers available at 13th overall and nabbed him, but after pitching plenty in the spring chose to let him work with their coaches for the summer on complex rather than go to a league.
Some see a lot of Andrew Miller in Rogers, with a delivery from the left side and height that reminds people of Miller’s current delivery. He does have similar raw stuff with a fastball that can run to mid-90s with a hard-breaking slider.
While old for the draft class, Rogers is still physically immature, and his delivery still has plenty to work out as far as consistency, which is not surprising at his height. He does have a loose arm that should allow for him to move quickly as he matures physically, though the Marlins likely learned from Garrett to let Rogers get his feet wet at a lower level before pushing him to A-ball in 2018.
Next: #5 and #6