Cleuluis Rondon Write-up/Video

[Eminor3rd]

Follow the link for video: http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/prospect-wa...don-and-garcia/

 

Cleuluis Rondon, SS, Chicago White Sox (Profile)

Level: Low-A Age: 21 Top-15: N/A Top-100: N/A

Line: 68 PA, .281/.294/.344, 0 HR, 2 BB, 11 K

 

Summary

Rondon is a defensive wizard who may be able to reach the majors on glove alone. As for the bat? Well, we’ll see.

 

Notes

I see a lot of Low-A baseball games. You know what never happens in a Low-A baseball game? This:

 

[VIDEO]

 

First off, it’s rare that a shortstop gets that many chances to make plays in a game, period. But more importantly–as I’ve discussed here–left-side infielders in the low minors generally aren’t very good defensively. Quite a few have a chance to someday be good defensively, but at present? Well, that’s why they’re in the low minors! Just the error rates alone of some of these players are frightening (many reside in the low .900s, if not lower), to say nothing of the miscues that don’t show up in the “E” column (and we all know errors are far from the whole story of defense).

 

So, to see a shortstop at the Low-A level–and a young one, at that (he just turned 20 this week)–execute so many different kinds of difficult plays flawlessly in one contest was quite the revelation. Cleuluis Rondon covers a lot of ground to both sides, goes back well on popups, and boasts a good arm for the shortstop position. Perhaps more striking, though, is his situational awareness, which is on full display in the above video–aggressively charging rollers, taking charge on popups in no-man’s land, and most notably, throwing out two runners in non-force situations on plays that most shortstops wouldn’t even realize were viable options. Rondon’s the best defensive shortstop I’ve seen live, and I’m not sure it’s particularly close.

 

But what of the bat? Well, that’s the big question. Acquired in the Jake Peavy trade from the Red Sox organization, Rondon was rushed up to Kannapolis last August because the White Sox don’t have a short-season-A affiliate, and he wasn’t ready, hitting .202/.279/.234 with a sole extra-base hit (a homer) in 29 contests. This year, he’s at .281/.294/.344 with four doubles in 15 games, cutting his strikeout rate from 23.1% to 16.1%.

 

A switch-hitter, Rondon packs a bit of punch from his natural right side, but he’s more of a slap hitter as a lefty. He has some extraneous hand movement in his load that gives him an elongated path to the ball, and while he has solid natural hand-eye coordination, he doesn’t consistently square the ball, often rolling over pitches or popping them up. Further, his pitch recognition skills are underdeveloped, and he’s had a lot of trouble with breaking pitches from righthanders. This limits his ability to get in favorable hitter’s counts and work walks.

 

Still, though, Rondon just turned 20, he’s relatively new to hitting lefty, and at least he’s putting the ball in play an above-average amount–that’s something to build on on the offensive side of the ball. If he can be something beyond a total liability at the plate, he could easily have a long career as a defensive specialist in the John McDonald/Brendan Ryan mold. Rondon should evolve into one of the premier defensive shortstops in the game, which will keep him around as a Triple-A guy for a long time at the very least. The bat will determine how much further he ascends beyond that floor.

[Eminor3rd]

Ugh, meant to post this in the main forum. Was here because I was checking for an AAP. Please move, mods. Sorry

[royoung]

Soltz just raves about Rondon's defense and it appears rightfully so. He looks like a true infield general. If he could just scrap together a .240/315/.350 slashline with some steals I think we would take that defense every day.

[Quin]

Peavy deal keeps looking better if Avi bounces back.