● Brewers 20-year-old catcher Jeferson Quero could be poised for a breakout year after impressing the organization in spring camp. PAGE 31
PAGE 27 The Twins want the pure-hitting Edouard Julien to take advantage of all the hitter’s counts he works by doing more damage.
De Los Santos Looks Ready For Low-A
It was the kind of sound that makes everyone around the backfields turn to look at the source, and when they did, they saw the culprit:
Third baseman Anderson De Los Santos was standing near home plate watching his towering 107 mph home run fly out to left field in an intrasquad game.
As the 5-foot-11, 185-pound De Los Santos embarked on an assignment to Low-A Delmarva, the 19-year-old hoped displays like that come more frequently in his full-season debut after being an early standout at minor league camp.
Orioles minor league hitting coordinator Anthony Villa, while acknowledging the gap between the Rookie complex leagues and Low-A, believes the strength and athleticism that made that blast possible is a reason De Los Santos should perform.
“He’s very physical,” Villa said. “He’s put together, he’s got some bat speed, he hits the ball hard—and frankly that’s a big deal as you move levels. Are you physical enough to handle the next level? We feel confident that De Los Santos is checking that box of being physical enough.”
His development since signing in January 2021 from the Dominican Republic is also a reason for confidence. De Los Santos had a nice Dominican Summer League campaign that year with a .904 OPS, but accomplished that without much plate discipline.
Upon graduating to the Florida Complex League in 2022, De Los Santos had a .752 OPS but with a much better approach.
“With the continued development he’s had with (hitting coach) Josh Bunselmeyer, he walked as much as he struck out, and just developed much better judgment of the strike zone,” Villa said.
“We’re seeing him continue to display that in spring training and are really hoping that that continues to be a carrying tool.”
—JON MEOLI
Rafaela Continues Refining Approach
Ceddanne Rafaela’s breakout 2022 campaign seemingly brought the big leagues within an arm’s length.
In 2022, Rafaela went from a player who hit for average with little power to one who routinely drove the ball in High-A Greenville and Double-A Portland.
He hit .299/.342/.539 with 21 home runs between the two levels, spending 71 of his 116 games with Portland.
Between his time in Double-A and 19 more games in the Puerto Rican League last winter, Rafaela—who was added to the 40-man roster in November—arrived in camp with a solid chance of opening the year in Triple-A Worcester.
But coming out of spring training, the Red Sox instead returned Rafaela to Portland.
In large part, that decision reflected the team’s sense that the free-swinging Rafaela needed to further improve his swing decisions before moving up to Triple-A.
He had one of the highest chase rates in the Double-A Eastern League in 2022—but did significant damage when swinging at pitches in the zone.
At big league camp this spring, experienced pitchers routinely got Rafaela to hack at pitches several inches off the plate.
Red Sox coaches and officials frequently worked with the 22-year-old in an effort to improve his swing decisions, but at times the team worried that the pendulum swung too far away from the aggressive cuts that allow Rafaela to impact the ball.
“His baseball IQ is good. He understands there’s things that he needs to do better, but I think all the talk about controlling the strike zone, I think the strike zone controlled him for a little bit (in big league camp),” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said.
“We want him to be aggressive. Learn how to control being aggressive—go, go, go, take. He understands that, so just keep going.”
Rafaela’s defense in center ensures that he will be a big league option, but the Red Sox remain hopeful that his callup will be as a more balanced player.
“He’s going to contribute,” Cora said.
—ALEX SPEIER
Vera Eyes Heavier Workload This Year
Norge Vera pitched at three minor league levels last season.
That’s usually a sure sign of a prospect on the rise, and the White Sox liked what they saw out of the 22-year-old righthander.
“He’s a guy who has an easy arm action, effortless velocity,” said Chris Getz, Chicago’s assistant general manager and farm director.
When he was healthy, Vera was able to show off his arm.
Trouble was, Vera missed the first two months of last season with a Grade 1 right lat strain.
Vera was able to get on the mound for Low-A Kannapolis in early June. He moved to High-A Winston-Salem in August and finished the year with Double-A Birmingham.
Vera, who signed out of Cuba in 2021, posted a 3.31 ERA in just 35.1 innings.
“He was able to get some innings under his belt, (but) not as many as we would have liked, obviously, with the lat injury,” Getz said. “Still, a solid foundation.”
While the White Sox didn’t push Vera too hard, the 6-foot-4, 215-pound righthander struck out 13.2 per nine innings while featuring a fastball that sat around 95 mph.
“He’s a multiple-pitch starter who’s physically gifted,” Getz said. “He’s got a good changeup. He’s got an effective breaking ball. We want to tighten the breaking ball a little bit, but we look forward to getting him rolling.”
All of the down time took a toll on Vera’s control. He issued 31 walks in his 35 innings.
Vera spent much of the winter at Chicago’s spring training complex in Glendale, Ariz., working on strength and conditioning.
