2023 DSL/CPX Standouts and Targets Part 3

In part 3, I go over 14 players from the DSL/CPX last year

Alfredo Duno (CIN):

Duno will be a Catcher at the next level, but didn’t play any defense last year because he was showing some discomfort in his throwing arm before the season started. The Reds utilized him as a DH for all 45 games he played in the DSL. He has good arm strength and can likely stick at Catcher long-term but his calling card is going to be his bat and his plus power.

Duno already has a big frame and he’s listed at 6’2 210. He’s a big kid and he’ll be 18 years old to start 2024. In 2023, he slashed: .303/.451/.493 with 6 homers and 6 steals. He’s running right now but that’ll likely be off the table as he matures and the speed element of his game isn’t a factor anymore. The plate approach was solid as he walked nearly as much as he struck out last year. The plus power he brings to the table is evident as he’s had EVs of 110+ mph as a 17-year-old. And that number is only going to go up as he matures.

After watching some film on Duno, I can’t help but see a little Juan Gonzalez in his swing, as he cocks back with his back arm, leaves his back elbow up, has a slight foot tap, and then explodes through the zone. All in all, It’s a compact operation as he has a great feel for his body and the plate, and the results are going to be explosive as he navigates further up the minors. I’d be targeting Duno in deeper leagues and he’s one of the more intriguing prospects to monitor this year. Cincinnati has a horde of them.

Ismael Javier (SDP):

Here is a name nobody is talking about that I think will start to raise eyebrows in the coming years. Javier is undersized at 5’8 160, but there’s a little Hector Rodriguez with more patience to his game. He’s a switch hitter with great body control and a solid feel for the plate. His approach led him to a walk rate of 13.4% and a K rate of 17.1%.

He was just 17 years old last year and slashed: .280/.386/.505 with 9 homers and 8 steals to go with a .225 ISO in 51 games in the DSL. I think there’s room for his hit tool to develop further and the power output was something of a surprise given his size, but 9 home runs, 8 doubles, and 3 triples in 51 games is no fluke. This is one of the lesser heralded names from the DSL last year and is worth monitoring going forward.

Andres Valor (MIA):

Valor impressed me in many ways last year as a 17-year-old getting his first taste of the DSL. He’s extremely projectable as he’s listed at 6’3 180 and has already shown a feel to hit for average and for power while being an aggressive baserunner.

Eduardo Quintero led all DSL and CPX players in XBH + SB with a total of 49 and Andres Valor wasn’t far behind with 46 of his own. He had 16 doubles, 2 triples, and 5 homers to go with 21 stolen bases. He slashed: .294/.360/.466 and the only concern was his K rate as it hovered just below 25%.

Valor has quick hands, good bat speed, and has already reached a max EV of 108 mph as a 17-year-old. That number is only going to go up as he fills out and matures — and the power output will go up because of it. Andres Valor is a name to watch and monitor as his 2024 season might have him shoot up prospect lists. And nobody with a last name like his can fail. He’s destined to succeed.

Braylin Tavera (BAL):

At the time of his signing, Tavera netted the largest signing bonus of any international prospect that the Baltimore Orioles had doled out. He spent 2022 in the DSL and 2023 at the CPX level where he slashed: .262/.391/.421 with 4 homers and 13 steals in just 35 games. His approach was sound as he walked nearly as much as he struck out and limited his K rate to just 17.3%.

He’s listed at 6’2 175 and will be 19 years old to start this season, likely at Low-A Delmarva. He’s a player to keep tabs on as he was a highly regarded international signee and will begin the year in full-season ball.

2022 to 2023 boasted improvements across the board for Tavera and the improvements came at a higher level. That’s not something to project once he gets to A ball as not everyone is going to see a Samuel Basallo like ascension, however, Tavera’s power output will be something to keep an eye on this year. The speed is real and the defense is good enough to stick at Center Field for now. The talent is very real with Tavera.

Adrian Gil (CHW):

I already pegged Gil as a breakout for 2024 as we saw an excellent plate approach as a 17 year old which saw him walk at a 13.2% clip and strikeout at just an 11.1% clip. He showed he can hit for average and power as he slashed: .340/.481/.517 with 5 homers and 5 stolen bases.

The runway is still long with Gil and defensive questions linger as he’s played both Corner Infield positions. The better outcome would be if he stuck to 3B or figured out a way to play 2B rather than being an undersized 1B. We’ll see how the White Sox approach him this year as he’ll likely get a taste of CPX ball and maybe even Low-A further down the line. The early results and indications show that the bat is real, however.

Yophery Rodriguez (MIL):

Rodriguez was 17 all of last year in the DSL as he slashed: .253/.393/.449 with 13 doubles, 2 triples, and 6 homers to go with 12 stolen bases. He plays above-average defense in Center and can stick there long term. I wrote about Rodriguez in my Projecting the Future series where I went over the top 61 hitting prospects for 2025. Here is what I wrote:

Yophery is a bet of mine and the bet is he’s in most top 100 prospect ranking lists by the end of the year.

Those in the Milwaukee organization rave about Yophery and he oozes all of the potential you look for in a 5-tool prospect. The speed might take a dip as he fills out but the power is in abundance. Everyone will be on the Yophery train by the end of 2024.

This was before Spring Training as Milwaukee has even got him time in the field and at the plate during ST games. That speaks a lot to how the Brewers view him internally. Yophery Rodriguez has as much talent as anyone of the names listed above him and before him in both Parts 1 and 2 and I’m personally excited to see how his 2024 will unfold.

Franklin Lopez (COL):

An undersized Catcher, listed at 5’9 170. God knows where he’ll play defensively as he moves up the ladder as it’s still too early to say. Offensively, he was one of the most impactful bats in the DSL last year. In a 35 game sample he slashed: .379/.451/.629 with a 178 wRC+ and a .250 ISO.

He hit 13 doubles and 6 homers and struck out just 19 times in his 35 game sample. There’s not a lot of speed to his game as he only attempted one stolen base and was successful in his lone try. If there’s anything here with Lopez, it’s going to be the bat. He’s shown he can hit for a high average while limiting strikeouts. And he’s shown he has a solid power output given his size. Lopez is someone to monitor but since he was a bit on the older side, I wouldn’t make him a target just yet. Let’s see what the Rockies do this year with Lopez and where they start him. Something tells me he’ll be in DSL for the next 3 years because thats how slow the Rockies are to move up their prospects.

Luis Guanipa (ATL):

Guanipa is a prototypical power/speed blend with projection written all over him, despite his 5’11 188 frame. We’ve seen this profile work with other prospects, specifically Luis Matos.

Guanipa offers more speed and has excellent athleticism to continue to hold onto that aspect of his game. He has an impact bat for someone his size and while he didn’t show the results in the DSL last year, I think this is a good buy low window in very deep leagues.

The approach will be a concern, but when prospecting he has all the tools you want when targeting a player — Age-to-level, projectability, raw power, speed, and a high-ceiling.

Alexander Albertus (LAD):

I think Albertus is one of the most intriguing prospects outside of the top tier of names that the organization currently has. He has an advanced feel for the strike zone while managing the ability to hit for average.

He split time between the DSL and CPX last year as an 18 year old and immediately stood out because of his precocious plate approach. He walked at a 22.4% clip and struck out just 11.2% of the time. He ran a bonkers 2.0 BB:K while slashing: .310/.471/.468. Albertus chipped in 5 homers and 9 steals in the 45 game sample between both levels.

He’s going to be a plate approach darling as he navigates each level of the minors and the high walk rate to go with the low K rate will bode well for his OBP going forward. The only thing to watch is his 6’1 176 current frame. Does he have more to fill out and if he does, will it lead to more power output? Albertus is a name to monitor for now and just know you’ll be seeing him on a lot of leaderboards posting wonky BB:K numbers. If the power comes around, he becomes an immediate target.

Enmanuel Tejeda (NYY):

With Roderick Arias getting most of the attention among Yankees infield prospects, Tejeda sort of slips through the cracks. He’s not forgotten though. He has above-average contact skills with a highly advanced approach at the plate. He followed up his great debut in the DSL in 2022 with an even better showing at the CPX level in 2023.

Tejeda slashed: .307/.465/.458 with 5 homers and 24 stolen bases in 50 games. He showed an advanced approach, walking just as much as he struck out.

Tejeda is another in the crop of middle infield talent the Yankees have who will be debuting in the lower minors this year, which leads me to this next player on the same team, albeit a bit older.

Keiner Delgado (NYY):

Delgado is an exciting player and saw his power uptick from 2022 to 2023 going from the DSL to CPX. He showed an even better approach than Tejeda, walking 15.1% of the time while striking out just 13% of the time. Delgado slashed: .293/.414/.485 with 8 homers and 36 stolen bases in 49 games.

These are the type of numbers that can be exciting from a Rookie Ball prospect but remember Delgado is now 20 years old and he hasn’t had a taste of A ball yet. If he puts up the same results in low-A, the age will stop being a question mark and he’ll probably shoot up rankings because of his power/speed combination.

The main caveat here is his size. He’s listed at 5’7 145 and I doubt he’s 145 still as they rarely update the size of these players once the measurements are taken. He definitely added a bit of thickness to hit 8 homers last year and it didn’t hamper his speed, either. There’s legitimate upside with Delgado and I’d monitor him closely before targeting him in 2024.

Anibal Salas (DET):

Salas signed for $1M in January of 2023 and went on to post a 149 wRC+ in the DSL later in the year. He’s one of the more toolsy players in the Detroit system already and it’ll be interesting to see where Detroit has him assigned to start 2024.

He slashed: .281/.451/.465 with 5 homers and 8 steals in 42 games. He has a solid approach as he walked 21.6% of the time and struck out 23.5% of the time. I want to see that K rate drop down a bit as he ascends the ladder but thats just nit-picking with a player this young.

He’s a legitimate defender in center field with a rare plus plus arm to go with plus speed which will allow him to stay up the middle. He offers a rare five-tool package in todays game as he has the potential to be a defensive savant to go with his plus speed and plus raw power. Salas is a target of mine in 2024. I’ll be monitoring him closely as of now, but he’s one of the names that should should up prospect rankings with a good showing this year.

Pedro Ibarguen (MIL):

Ibarguen joins Yophery Rodriguez as another exciting outfield prospect in the Milwaukee system. He has solid exit velocities considering his age as he was just 16 years old last year. He has good pitch recognition and posted solid contact rates and he walked at a 15% clip while striking out less than 20% of the time.

Ibarguen slashed: .311/.437/.447 with 3 homers and 7 stolen bases while posting a 141 wRC+ as a 16 year old in just 43 games. He is the hallmark definition of underrated and overlooked. I’d keep an eye out for Ibarguen as he develops through the minor league ladder. I’m of the belief that he keeps hitting and will be on more peoples radars this coming year.

Angel Perez (PIT):

Perez is an undersized catching prospect who can actually barrel balls and hit for power. He had a 168.5 wRC+ last year while hitting 5 homers in 33 games. He walked just as much as he struck out as both rates hovered in the 20% territory. Perez’s ability to get on base and hit for power will likely put him on prospect radars heading into 2024, but he’s just worth a monitor right now.

It is worth mentioning that he was one of the more productive players in the DSL last year with a .4274 TB/PA. It’s also worth mentioning his SwStr% was in the 30% territory so we’re seeing him sacrifice a bit of contact for power. At this stage it isn’t a problem as he still slashed: .295/.462/.568 with a .273 ISO. Perez’s development is one to keep an eye on.

That wraps up Part 3 of this series. I hope everyone got something out of it and this was a valuable resource heading into the season. I’m not opposed to doing more of these so if anyone has any names they want to see a report and analysis on just drop them below in the comments and I’ll consider making a Part 4 with a bunch of names who missed.