With the recent signing of shortstop prospect Jose Iglesias, the Sox now have four shortstops among their top 20 prospects.
Soxprospects.com rates the 19 year-old Cuban defector as the 14th best prospect in the organization and second-best prospect behind #12 Yamaico Navarro, third-best if you include Casey Kelly.
The 5-11, 175 pound infielder rates very well with the glove, with at least one scout grading it an 80 on the 20-80 scouting scale, according to Kiley McDaniel of Baseball Prospectus. His arm rates as a plus, as does his range, though his speed is of debate to some scouts.
Iglesias’ detractors point to his underdeveloped bat, particularly his power potential, as he failed to hit a single home run in 314 at-bats in Cuba in 2008.
Despite the questionable bat, Iglesias’ stellar glove should carry him to the major leagues where he could be a quality regular. With comparisons to a ” ‘Ryan Theriot with better hands’ “, Iglesias sure does have a bright future and could become the Sox starting shortstop in the future.
Iglesias is signed for four seasons at a total of $8.2 million.