Atlanta Braves Top 100 Prospects Scouting Report: 23. Juan Yepez
Atlanta Braves First Baseman Juan Yepez
Who Is He?
Yepez was signed as the top dollar signee in what has turned out to be a loaded 2014 international free agent class from the Braves, signing for just over $1M dollars in a group of signees that also included outfielders Ronald Acuna and Isranel Wilson and, later in the process, Randy Ventura.
The Braves started Yepez at their Gulf Coast League team last summer, and while he was listed at 6’1 and 200 pounds after signing, it was obvious that he had added some weight last season, and that third base was going to be a rough spot to play.
His bat, however, forced him on the field, as he hit .306/.402/.449 with the GCL team in 31 games before being promoted to Danville, where between Austin Riley’s tremendous hitting and his poor fielding, he only saw action in one game at third base, but he still hit – going .291/.324/.466.
Altogether, in 2015 between the two rookie levels, Yepez totaled a .299/.364/.458 line over 228 plate appearances, hitting 4 home runs, 16 doubles, and 2 triples with a 22/55 BB/K ratio.
This season, he was moved to Rome on May 8th after recovering from an undisclosed offseason injury. Yepez hit .260/.315/.400 with a home run and 4 doubles and a 4/15 BB/K ratio in 54 plate appearances before going on the DL again on May 20th, and he has not returned.
Next: Yepez's scouting report
Scouting Report
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Yepez is listed at 6’1 and 200 pounds on his Baseball-Reference page, but when you see him, you can tell he’s still a growing teenager (just turned 18 in February). He has likely added 1-2″ of height and 20-25 pounds of weight to those numbers, but to his credit, while that 20-25 pounds last season looked like “bad” weight, he’s shown up this season trim and fit, looking like he put in the time to add bulk and trim down excess weight. Yepez is a right-handed hitter and thrower.
Hitting
Yepez has a tall stance in the box, and he has an incredibly quick set of hands, which is what many viewed as his best raw tool when he was signed. Yepez can get the bat on a ball even when fooled, and as he continues to mature physically, he should be able to add more natural drive to the balls he hits. His home run this year was on a hanging slider, and it was a beautiful thing to watch him sit back on the pitch and trigger forward with such explosiveness and the ball just explode off of his bat.
I watch his approach at the plate, and that’s where I see some issues. In his pro career, that’s been an issue, certainly, as Yepez walked 5.4% of the time and struck out over 26% of the time in Danville last season after being promoted, and then he’s followed that up with nearly identical numbers this season (7.4%, 27.8%). His wrists probably play into that somewhat as he does have the ability to get to a lot of balls, and therefore is willing to expand the zone, but he has been guilty of expanding for more than he should be pursuing, especially on breaking pitches.
Base Running/Fielding
Yepez, even when looking somewhat overweight last season, showed good first instincts on the base paths, which allowed him to garner a few stolen bases last year, and with better conditioning this year, he’s actually been part of intentional stolen bases. I’ve also been impressed with Yepez taking an extra base or two, so he’s got some solid baseball instincts.
The fielding is the biggest issue of all. Yepez struggles mightily in fielding balls that require him to range, and while he’s handled much of the first base work well, he’s been uncomfortable with digging a ball out of the dirt thus far, though with all due respect, he’s just learning the position, so if that’s what he still has to work out, I could handle that for a guy at low-A.
Next: Future outlook
Future Outlook
The Braves are notoriously tight-lipped about their minor league injuries, making Bill Belichek look loose with injury information in comparison, so giving you an idea about when we’ll see Yepez back again is fool’s errand.
Yepez has one of the most impressive hit tools in the entire system, and if only on that one skill, he’d be a fun guy to watch, but to have shown already some of that skill at a young age in Rome indicates that the future is plenty bright for Yepez, and he’s a guy that Braves fans should be excited about. He may get lost in some of the big-name pitchers or the loud-tool outfielders, but a hit tool as advanced as Yepez’s is a skill that frequently leads to some level of a major league career, whereas those loud tools very well may end up flaming out.
Next: Braves Minor League Database
I’d wager that Yepez will take his time working up the system, improving his defense along the way. I’m not sure if the team would try him in an outfield corner with his more improved conditioning that he exhibited this season, but the reports are that the arm would play there if they did. He’s only 18, and he’ll have plenty of time to work his way up the system to succeed!