Pedro Ciriaco Stats & Scouting Report

AB	612
AVG	.268
OBP	.294
SLG	.368
HR	5

Full name Pedro Joel Ciriaco
Born 09/27/1985 in San Pedro De Macoris, Dominican Republic
Profile Ht.: 6'0" / Wt.: 180 / Bats: R / Throws: R
School Liceo Sorana Noal
Debut 09/08/2010

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

Ciriaco was acquired in a trade with Arizona last July that also brought in Chris Snyder and $3 million for D.J. Carrasco, Ryan Church and Bobby Crosby. Ciriaco finally reached the majors in his eighth pro season when Pittsburgh made him a September callup. He showed enough in his brief time in the Pirates' hands to convince management that he could push everyday shortstop Ronny Cedeno at some point in 2011, after more time in Triple-A. Ciriaco long had tools ranked among the best in the Diamondbacks system, most notably his plus speed, smooth glove and strong arm. But just as with Arizona, he will need to prove himself with the bat in order to become a starter. He has shown poor pitch selection--two walks in 129 plate appearances after the trade--and his spindly frame offers little hope for power. There is occasional lively contact, and the Pirates were stressing for him to find a way to make that more consistent. The primary adjustments were creating a smooth, consistent load, and getting his head in position to see the ball better. Ciriaco has the defensive tools to contribute in the big leagues, and if he can hit he could find an everyday role. He'll open 2011 at Indianapolis and try to prove he's ready.
Ciriaco's package of raw tools has been among the best in the system since he signed in 2003, but it has been a slow process to refine them. He has the potential to impact with his glove and feet, but his offensive game is still a work in progress. Ciriaco had a career year when he repeated the hitter-friendly California League in 2008. While he hit .296 in Double-A last season, he totaled only 22 extra-base hits and 10 walks. After making good swing adjustments in 2008, he didn't hit the ball with much authority last year. He needs to refine his strikezone judgment so he can take advantage of more hitter's counts and get on base more often. He's a plus runner and adept at stealing bases. Defense comes much more easily to Ciriaco than hitting. Managers rated him the best defensive shortstop and strongest infield arm in the Southern League in 2009. He has good range and soft hands. Ciriaco saw action at second base last season, preparing him for a possible future as a utilityman. He headed to the Arizona Fall League after the season but didn't show any improvements at the plate. He should open 2010 in Triple-A.
Ciriaco had always been much more about potential than performance in his five previous seasons in the organization, but a chance to repeat high Class A allowed him to put himself back into the Diamondbacks' plans. He was a California League all-star after putting together by far his best offensive season, then got added to the 40-man roster. Ciriaco could always run and play shortstop, but he tended to get the bat knocked out of his hands. He made adjustments with his approach and his hands, creating less movement in his swing, and started to hit the ball with some authority. He also greatly improved his basestealing efficiency, leading the organization with 40 steals and getting caught just nine times. The game also slowed down for him on defense, and his error total dropped for the second straight season, to 23. With continued improvements in his consistency he can be an above-average shortstop, with plenty of range and arm for the position. More important, he looks like he can hold his own with the bat as well. He worked out in the Diamondbacks' Dominican instructional camp over the winter and will be Mobile's starting shortstop to open 2009.
Ciriaco remains a raw package of tools--which is pretty much what he was when the Diamondbacks signed him--but he shows enough progress each season that they continue to push him up the ladder. He did make progress at the plate last season, batting .284 in the second half, and he was much more comfortable at the bottom of the order than the top, even showing the willingness to take a walk. He still needs to cut down on his strikeouts, and he'll have to get stronger as well. He also needs to make better use of his above-average speed, as he got caught in 11 of 31 basestealing attempts last season. Ciriaco reduced his errors from 45 in 2006 to 32 in 2007, but consistency on defense remains one of his biggest challenges. He has the tools, including an above-average arm, to play shortstop, but he'll have to continue to cut down on his errors to stay there. Arizona worked Ciriaco out at second and third base in instructional league, and unless he makes significant improvements this season he's probably looking at a career as a utilityman.
While he's moving steadily through the organization, Ciriaco is one of the rawest players in the Diamondbacks system and little more than a package of intriguing tools at this point. But those tools are very intriguing. Ciriaco has a strong arm, though he's still learning how to harness it. He has poor footwork on defense and led the minor leagues with 45 errors last season, but that was an improvement on the 34 he committed in a half-season a year earlier. He also is very athletic and is a plus runner, yet he has been caught on a third of his career basestealing attempts, including a 19-for-27 effort in 2006. At the plate, he has the bat speed and hand-eye coordination to hit but he's still learning a coherent approach. He'll chase just about anything and gets himself out more often than pitchers do. Still, the Diamondbacks are developing a track record of not only discovering talent in Latin America but also developing it. They're trying to get Ciraco to slow himself down, and they may do the same thing by returning him to South Bend to start the season.

Minor League Top Prospects

While Kelly is steady, Ciriaco is spectacular but also erratic. Though he had one of the MWL's strongest infield arms and was one of its fastest players, he stole just 19 bases in 27 attempts and led the minors with 45 errors. "He has God-given talent," Joyce said. "He might have the best arm strength in the league. It's right there with (2004 No. 1 overall pick) Matt Bush, and he's more accurate and gets to more balls than Bush." Still learning to apply that talent, Ciriaco plays out of control at the plate and in the field. He chases pitches out of the strike zone, gets his feet tangled up on defense and commits mental as well as physical mistakes. But he has the hand-eye coordination to hit, and the physical skills to excel in all aspects of the game if he slows himself down.