By Schuyler Dombroske

 

Alexis Rios was a budget draft choice for the Jays in 1999, but he has a chance to become more than a budget player. During the period of time following Interbrew’s denial that they were attempting to sell the team, the Jays became much more frugal with their draft picks, selecting Rios in 1999 and Miguel Negron in 2000. Both players were deemed to be projects, in an attempt to put a positive spin on the fact that they were not first-round caliber talent. Negron has shown very little thus far, but Rios has definitely improved to the point of being a legitimate prospect. At 6’5’’, 200 (or less, I’ve seen reports from 185-205), Rios has a wiry frame that creates a long swing. From this swing, one would expect more power and less contact, but Rios has shown quite the opposite thus far. He finished fourth in the FSL in batting average this season, despite dealing with numerous hand and arm injuries that probably hampered his power more than his stroke. He will hit for average, and might swing at any pitch, regardless of type or location, a la Vlad Guerrero. That fact, coupled with the hand injuries, have hampered his power production at this point. He certainly has the build and swing to become a power hitter, as everyone witnessed when he bashed seven homers in spring training. A greater amount of patience would certainly assist him in reaching his potential in this category, but that trait seems to be a long way off. Rios does not strike out a tremendous amount, but he walks even less, drawing only 27 free passes this year in nearly 500 plate appearances. He still loves to swing at the first pitch he can reach, and until he curbs that desire, he won’t hit nearly as many balls with authority as he is capable of. His speed might be his best tool, although he only stole 14 bases in 2002. Scouts think he is capable of being a legitimate basestealing threat, which I would take to mean a 25-30 steal per year player. In the field, his combination of skills make it difficult to determine where he might best fit. His arm is average, but perhaps a bit poor for right field, where he has been playing. His range is decent, but maybe not quite center-field material. He may actually be best suited for left, but his range and arm are both a bit better than is necessary for that part of the outfield. In time, he may become a better than average center fielder, which is of course the toughest position to fill, and would give him the greatest value. He needs to show some home run power and some patience soon, though, or it won’t matter which outfield position he is best suited for.