Sunday June 17th, 2012

Sam Evans: Adeiny Hechavarria might be the best defensive shortstop in the minor leagues. However, his bat has always been far behind his glove, in terms of development. When the twenty-three year old started to hit at the end of last year, people started to take notice. Now, after over four hundred at bats in the minors, Blue Jays fans are starting to wonder when they’ll get to see this talented shortstop at the major league level.

Hechavarria isn’t exactly the youngest shortstop prospect. Cubs’ shortstop Starlin Castro and Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus are both younger than Hechavarria, who has yet to reach the majors. However, Hechavarria is still one of the younger players in Triple-A.

The Blue Jays signed Hechavarria to a contract that will pay him $10 million, when he was a free agent out of Cuba back in 2010. Back then, Hechavarria was thought of as a light-hitting shortstop, with tremendous potential due to his outstanding defense. The Toronto organization showed they believed Hechavarria could provide just enough value to be worth  the big signing bonus they gave him back in 2010.

Hechavarria isn’t a physically imposing baseball player. He is less than six feet tall and he has a slim body. Because of this, Hechavarria doesn’t project to ever add more power to his game. This might not be too important, because in recent years, shortstops like Elvis Andrus have shown it is possible to be a superstar shortstop without hitting even five home runs per year. Hechavarria has above-average speed, but he has yet to prove that he can use it to become an efficient base-stealer. Hechavarria looks like a shortstop, and if you watch him field grounders, it won’t take long before you realize why the Blue Jays gave this prospect so much money.

As Hechavarria moved through the minors, the opinions on his bat remained the same. In Hechavarria’s first year with the Blue Jays, in 2010, he hit .242 with a .605 OPS between High-A and Double-A. Even though Adeiny Hechavarria struggled at the plate, his defense remained fairly impressive. It did not surprise me that the Blue Jays promoted Hechavarria so aggressively, due to his age, and monster contract.
In 2011, Hechavarria spent most of his time in Double-A, with about a month in Triple-A. In Double-A, Hechavarria had a 63 wRC+, but stole eighteen bases. When Adeiny Hechavarria was promoted to Triple-A, the results were surprisingly positive. In 419 Triple-A at bat’s, Hechavarria is hitting .345 with a .866 OPS. His numbers do have to be taken with a grain of salt because the Las Vegas Triple-A stadium is among the most hitter-friendly in baseball. However, his numbers on the road are still been above-average for the league.
Hechavarria would be a much better hitter if he had better plate discipline. In his minor league career, Hechavarria’s strikeout and walk rates have remained very constant. Over his three minor league seasons, Hechavarria has a 16.5 K% and a 5.9 BB%. For a hitter that struggles with making solid contact with the ball, the walk rate in particular is frightening. If Hechavarria can be more patient at the plate, he is going to have a much more successful major league career.

Currently, the Blue Jays have Yunel Escobar playing shortstop and Kelly Johnson at second base. Yunel Escobar has had a rough start to the season, which has led some Blue Jays fans to wonder if it is time for a Hechavarria promotion. Escobar is hitting .243 with a 69 wRC+ and three home runs. Kelly Johnson has been much better, as he has a .255 BA with a .345 OBP and nine home runs. Johnson is not in danger of losing his job, but there is a chance he could be playing with a different team after the trade deadline. Escobar is signed through 2013, with club options through 2015, and Johnson’s contract is up at the end of this year.

What the Blue Jays should do is move Escobar to second prior to the 2013 season, and let Hechavarria handle the shortstop duties. However, Escobar is a veteran who might not want to be forced to move by a young unproven player. What the Blue Jays shouldn’t do is call up Hechavarria this year, only to have him sit on the bench. I assume that if Escobar gets injured, Hechavarria will replace him. Yunel Escobar is pretty good bet to play around 130 games, so Hechavarria could get an opportunity at some point in the season. If Escobar stays healthy, the Blue Jays should keep Hechavarria in Triple-A all year, where he can play every day.

Adeiny Hechavarria is probably the Blue Jays shortstop of the future. The only reason I say probably is because baseball is remarkably unpredictable. Both Hechavarria and Escobar could be with different organizations by the start of next year. However, if Hechavarria and Escobar both stay with the Blue Jays for the next few years, Hechavarria will eventually steal Yunel’s job. Hechavarria may never be an All-Star, but he could win a few Gold Gloves at one of the most important defensive-oriented positions on the baseball diamond. The Jays will surely live with that kind of production from their likely shortstop of the future.

***Today’s feature was prepared by Sam Evans, Baseball Writer.  We highly encourage you to leave your comments and feedback at the bottom of the page and share in the discussion with our readers.  You can also follow Sam on Twitter***

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