Former Arizona Diamondbacks prospect Socrates Brito heading to KBO

Socrates Brito had once been one of the Arizona Diamondbacks‘ top prospects. An outfielder with solid power and speed, Brito was expected to be a building block for the Diamondbacks. However, his strong showings at Triple-A never manifested themselves major league level.

After bouncing around the minors, Brito is taking another path to attempt to get his career on track. He has signed a one year deal worth $600,000 with the Kia Tigers in the Korean Baseball Organization.

Former Arizona Diamondbacks prospect Socrates Brito heading to KBO

Brito had bounced between Triple-A and the majors for a time, seeing action in four different seasons. He did nothing to establish himself in that time, posting a miserable .179/.216/.309 batting line in his 218 plate appearances, hitting five homers and six doubles while stealing three bases. His lack of plate discipline was exploited, as he drew just ten walks while striking out 56 times.

He had far more success at Triple-A over his career. Brito has posted a .287/.339/.467 batting line in 1960 plate appearances at the highest level of the minors, hitting 53 homers and 103 doubles while stealing 62 bases. Despite drawing just 140 walks, he has made much more contact, showing the skills that made him such a highly regarded prospect.

That difference in success between Triple-A and the majors is also problematic. Brito has not appeared in the majors since 17 game stint in Toronto in 2019, failing to make enough of an impact to get yet another chance. At this point, he is in danger of being viewed as a Quad-A player.

A stint with the Kia Tigers could change that perception. Several other players have been able to head to the KBO and fine tune their craft, returning to the majors as solid options. Perhaps the same can happen with Brito.

Former Arizona Diamondbacks prospect Socrates Brito is heading to the Korean Baseball Organization. Maybe he can get his career back on track.