1 EZEQUIEL TOVAR SS
Hit: 55 Power: 55 Speed: 60 Fielding: 70 Arm: 60 BA Grade: 65 Risk: High
Born: August 1, 2001. B-T: R-R. HT: 6-0. WT: 162.
Signed: Venezuela, 2017.
Signed by: Rolando Fernandez/Orlando Medina.
TRACK RECORD: Since signing for $800,000 on his 16th birthday in 2017, Tovar has progressed each year on his way to ranking as one of the top prospects in baseball. He spent all of the 2020 pandemic working out at the Rockies’ facility in Arizona because he was unable to return home to Venezuela. Over that time period, Tovar made substantial changes. He added strength and good weight and stopped switch-hitting in favor of batting righthanded only. The hard work paid off. Tovar broke out in his full-season debut in 2021, hitting .309/.346/.510 over 72 games with Low-A Fresno before being promoted to High-A Spokane for the final few months of the season. He was assigned to Double-A Hartford out of camp in 2022, making Tovar the third-youngest player to open the season in the Eastern League. Over the first few months of the season, Tovar impressed by hitting .318/.386/.545 with 13 home runs and 17 stolen bases in 66 games. Tovar went down in late June with a hip/groin injury that required a two month stint on the injured list. Tovar returned in mid September, playing five games with Triple-A Albuquerque before he was called up to Colorado to make his MLB debut on Sept. 23.
Tovar is a talented all-around shortstop capable of impacting the game on both sides of the ball in a variety of ways. With a lanky build, Tovar lacks mass but has wiry strength and twitch that allow his him to generate power at the plate and on his throws. His offensive profile is heavily driven by his above-average bat-to-ball skills and plus bat speed. An aggressive swinger, Tovar looks to put the ball in play and do damage. While his swing decisions are still raw, he has an innate ability to adjust the barrel and make flush contact all over the zone. While his exit velocity data is below-average, Tovar’s power plays up in games
