Prospect of the Day: Jose Iglesias, SS, Boston Red Sox

by John Sickels on May 10, 2025 8:00 AM EDT

Prospect of the Day: Jose Iglesias
Over the weekend, the Red Sox promoted Cuban infielder Jose Iglesias to cover for the injured Marco Scutaro and act as backup for Jed Lowrie at shortstop.

      Signed to a four-year major league contract worth $8.25 million in 2009, Iglesias is a tremendous defensive shortstop, worthy of winning Gold Gloves if he plays regularly. His range, hands, and arm strength all rate as excellent, and scouts love his instincts and quick reactions. He'll make occasional errors (five already in 24 games for Triple-A Pawtucket this year), but he also gets to balls that most infielders can't reach according to scouts, and range is more important than reliability for a young infielder. Reliability usually improves over time; range doesn't.
     The main problem for Iglesias is offense. He has some bat speed, and the Red Sox insist that his excellent hand-eye coordination will eventually translate into good hitting, at least for average. He did hit .285 in 57 games in Double-A last year. But he has almost no power, was hitting just .253/.278/.253 this year in 24 games for Pawtucket (zero extra-base hits in 92 plate appearances), and is hampered by poor strike zone judgment. He runs well but doesn't steal many bases. Without significant improvement with his plate discipline and/or power, his offense will consist entirely of an empty batting average.
    Iglesias is just 21 years old and is still adapting to North America, so there is still a chance his offense will improve. His glove will keep him employed for a long time. Right now he needs at-bats to work out the kinks in his hitting. He won't get a lot of them in Boston right now as long as Jed Lowrie is hitting, so expect Iglesias to return to Triple-A once Scutaro is healed.

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Read More: Marco Scutaro (SS - BOS), Jed Lowrie (2B - BOS), Jose Iglesias (SS - BOS), Boston Red Sox

Comments

Mildly overrated prospect

I’ve seen some of the same people who are really down on Dee Gordon be much higher on Iglesias, and I’m not sure why; they profile similarly. I think they both squeeze into the top 100 somewhere but not as high up in the rankings as some have indicated.

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by OremLK on May 10, 2025 8:05 AM EDT reply actions

Gordon vs. Iglesias

I think the biggest difference is the D. Iglesias’ D, by all accounts, is other worldly. Keith Law referred to him taking infield practice as “baseball porn” … no matter how little his bat develops, his D will make him at least a serviceable MLer for a long time. That’s not the case with Gordon, to my knowledge, and why people may feel differently about both of these prospects. If Gordon has to move off short, his bat is highly questionable.

by jackweiland on May 10, 2025 10:08 AM EDT up reply actions

This is what makes me think the comparison fits

is range, hands, and arm strength all rate as excellent, and scouts love his instincts and quick reactions. He’ll make occasional errors (five already in 24 games for Triple-A Pawtucket this year), but he also gets to balls that most infielders can’t reach according to scouts, and range is more important than reliability for a young infielder. Reliability usually improves over time; range doesn’t.

Dee Gordon gets similar reports—he has all the tools to be a plus defensive shortstop but his consistency/reliability needs a good bit of work. Still, I don’t see any reason Gordon would move off SS based on the reports I’ve seen.

http://www.crawfishboxes.com

by OremLK on May 10, 2025 10:29 AM EDT up reply actions

Polish

The difference is that Iglesias is a SS now, and a very good one. Gordon has the tools/projection to be a very good one, but he isn’t there yet. And there is a good chance he never gets near Iglesias’s level.

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by JD Sussman on May 10, 2025 10:31 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs

Fair enough

Also keep in mind, though, that Gordon has true basestealing speed where Iglesias does not. My basic point remains—these are both glove-first shortstops who are going to rely on hitting for average to produce anything of offensive value. Iglesias is the more polished defender, but Gordon is the better baserunner. Neither of them is likely to be even MLB average at the plate and both will live or die based upon their defense.

And both of them are mildly overated. I think they could both be above average regulars in a best case scenario, but they’re not going to be stars.

http://www.crawfishboxes.com

by OremLK on May 10, 2025 10:36 AM EDT up reply actions

Agree to Disagree?

I think they could both be above average regulars in a best case scenario, but they’re not going to be stars.

I agree with that statement. But disagree because their ceilings aren’t “stars” that they are overrated. Most players’ ceilings aren’t star level players.

I’d also like to add that Bat>>Glove>> base-running.

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by JD Sussman on May 10, 2025 10:43 AM EDT up reply actions

Most prospects in the top 30 or so

Ought to have star level ceilings, in my opinion. I’ve seen Jose Iglesias placed there by some (perhaps overzealous Boston fans?).

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by OremLK on May 10, 2025 10:51 AM EDT up reply actions

Again, Agree to Disagree

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by JD Sussman on May 10, 2025 11:27 AM EDT up reply actions

Hit the nail on the head

by SeanMillerSavior on May 10, 2025 2:09 PM EDT up reply actions

That sums it up pretty well.

Iglesias’s floor is very high. He would have to be worth roughly -35 runs with the bat to replacement level. Which, no one has been been over the past three years. His upside with that bat is high enough (league average hitter) to make him a very legit prospect. He’s a B+ for me.

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by JD Sussman on May 10, 2025 10:30 AM EDT up reply actions

+1

This, all the way through. I’ve been following him, though I’ll admit it’s mostly because I have a hunch that my Mets will wind up dealing Jose Reyes for him. Which is completely unsubstantiated, and likely wishcasting for the eventually Reyes move.

…Well, wishcasting would really be seeing the Mets resign Reyes at a hometown discount.

by GuyinNY on May 10, 2025 5:15 PM EDT up reply actions

This guy is good.

He has a great glove and like the guy said that will keep you in the majors if its indeed that good. But with no power at all seriously no extra base hits? I think this guy will be like a johnny maCdonald of the Blue jays if anyone knows who that is?

by Jt Malley on May 10, 2025 8:35 AM EDT reply actions

Here are some names that come to mind when I think of all-field, no-hit shortstops. Cesar Izturis, Jack Wilson, John Macdonald, Rey Ordonez, Tony Pena Jr. Omar Vizquel and Ozzie Smith started out that way and then managed to figure out how to hit singles and steal bases. How likely is that in Iglesias’s case?

sports.yahoo.com/mlb/blog/big_league_stew

by alexwithclass on May 10, 2025 8:41 AM EDT up reply actions

+1

I agree, and I think this is where Iglesias is headed. And you know, that’s not bad. I think, at minimum, he’ll be in the majors for many many years just for defense, and if he can indeed learn how to hit, he can be a borderline hall of famer. What’s not to like? (Well, in my case - since he’s on my fantasy team, he’s um, a whole whole lot better as a baseball prospect than he is as a fantasy baseball prospect.)

The wind is in the buffalo.

by journeymen on May 10, 2025 10:15 AM EDT up reply actions

Not really

Of those names, Ozzie became a decent hitter later in his career and Omar was ok, the others you mentioned never learned how to hit. If this is the profile I doubt he stays a Red Sock for too long. They have money to get a good defensive and offensive shortstop. And anyone who calls fielding practice “baseball porn” should be taken out back by the woodshed and……

by thehitonecafe on May 10, 2025 12:43 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions

and...

…have fungos hit at them?

by Slinger on May 10, 2025 6:26 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs

Ordenez or Vizquel

I see Iglesias as having a Rey Ordonez floor and Omar Vizquel ceiling. Will Iglesias struggle to put up a .600 OPS or can he make himself into a #2 type hitter in his prime? He won’t ever be the first shortstop off the board in a fantasy baseball draft, however, if he can provide GG defense, hit .280, draw the occassional walk, hit the occasional double and steal the occassional base, I think Sox fans will pretty happy with the results.

by mg050369 on May 10, 2025 8:15 PM EDT up reply actions