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Prospect Trade Report: Yordy Cabrera
While the attention of the baseball world was focused on the playoffs, the Diamondbacks, Marlins, and Athletics pulled off a three-way transaction back on October 20th. This was a "we want to get rid of this guy" thing for all three teams, with Heath Bell going from Miami to Arizona, Cliff Pennington moving from Oakland to Arizona, and Chris Young transitoning from Arizona to Oakland.
The only prospect involved was shortstop Yordy Cabrera, going from Oakland to Miami. Here is the scoop.
Drafted in the second round in 2010 from high school in Lakeland, Florida, Cabrera was supposed to be an impressive young power hitter with a strong arm and a chance to stick at shortstop. A caution flag was his age: he was already 19 when drafted, turning 20 that September, unusually old for a high school player. After a five-game pro debut (3-for-16 with four walks) in rookie ball, Cabrera moved up to Low-A Burlington in the Midwest League for 2011, hitting a disappointing .231/.297/.368 with six homers, 31 walks, and 110 strikeouts in 359 at-bats.
Moved up to High-A Stockton for '12, Cabrera was even less effective, hitting .232/.293/.332 with three homers, 16 walks, and 68 strikeouts in 220 at-bats. Overall, in 166 professional games, Cabrera has hit .230/.297/.351 with nine homers, 51 walks, and 183 strikeouts in 595 at-bats.
That's not too good. Optimists point out that Cabrera has plenty of physical strength and is still young enough to develop. Pessimists point to poor plate discipline, inconsistent swing mechanics, and problems with breaking balls. On defense, his arm is quite strong, but is excessively error-prone at shortstop and will likely wind up at third base due to range limitations.
Cabrera is a right-handed hitter and thrower, born September 3rd, 1990, listed at 6-1, 205. Perhaps a new organization and a fresh start will unlock Cabrera's talent, but I'm not among the optimists at this point. His arm is his best tool. . .he hit 95 MPH in high school. . .and it would not surprise me if he ends up on the mound eventually. I'm skeptical that he'll hit enough to be a major league regular, especially at third base.
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