Prospect Countdown: #29 Rey Navarro

29. Rey Navarro Shortstop

Joy R. Absalon/milb.com

Age: 23
Position: SS
Height: 5-10
Weight: 175
B/T: S/R
Acquired: Via trade with ARI on 5/1/10 for Carlos Rosa
From: Caguas, Puerto Rico

Paden Bennett (NR):  Navarro is known for his superb defense, has progressed nicely through the system.    His hitting still leaves a lot to be desired but his glove work is above average.  He will have a shot at starting the season in Omaha and hopefully his hitting continues to develop.

Joe Cox (NR): The 23 year-old Navarro has slowly made his way up the minor leagues, and he looks to have a good chance of starting the 2013 in Omaha.  A former top 10 prospect in 2010 with the Diamondbacks organization, Navarro has struggled at the plate for really his entire career.  The skill Navarro seems to impress most with is his glove which makes him valuable depth at the shortstop position, but his inability to hit seems to gives him a ceiling of a backup.  He is still young and makes good contact, so there is still room for growth here.  

Damion Mandalas (NR): I see Navarro's ceiling as that of a glove first utility man on the Major League roster. What separates him from the Royals other utility options (Irving Falu, Anthony Seratelli, Miguel Tejeda, and Tony Abreu) is his ability to straight pick it at short. The bat needs to progress as 2012 was a big step back for him. He's never going to hit for much power, but if he can avoid strikeouts and make solid contact like he displayed with his 18.6% LD% in 2011, he could be a regular. I don't see this happening, but I do expect him to eventually service at the Major League level. 

Dan Ware (23):  With six professional seasons under his belt, at the young age of 23, Navarro has ventured all the way from Rookie League ball to Triple-A as of last year.  In 2012, Rey spent the majority of his time in a Naturals uniform, hitting just .250 in 449 plate appearances   Although, it was a short stint, he had a promising 17 games in Omaha with a line of .300/.391/.400.  Known for his defense at shortstop, the few errors he commits will begin to decrease when age and maturity continues, but the fact that he has great range and athleticism will only benefit him.  Come Spring Training, he'll have some competition to go against in Christian Colon in order to acquire the starting SS spot in Omaha.

Total Points: 8