Carlos Villalobos

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Detroit Tigers #10 prospect in 1999
  Background: Detroit acquired Villalobos with righthanders Scott Sanders and Dean Crow for righthanders Omar Olivares and Felipe Lira in July 1997 from Seattle. Though he's hit for a high average before, Villalobos never hit the ball as consistently hard as he did in 1998. He had surgery to repair a damaged labrum in his right shoulder following the season but was added to the Tigers' 40-man roster in November. Strengths: Villalobos uses his inside-out swing effectively on pitches to the outer half of the plate. He's starting to show more power as he matures physically. Weaknesses: Villalobos doesn't turn on pitches the way you expect from a corner infielder. He's a below-average runner and hasn't played consistently well in the field. He made 28 errors this season and is coming off major surgery to his throwing shoulder. The Future: Villalobos is stuck on the third-base depth chart behind $36 million free agent Dean Palmer and Gabe Alvarez. The Tigers are mulling a position move to increase his value.

• December, 1998 Scouting Report
  Background: Detroit acquired Villalobos with righthanders Scott Sanders and Dean Crow for righthanders Omar Olivares and Felipe Lira in July 1997 from Seattle. Though he's hit for a high average before, Villalobos never hit the ball as consistently hard as he did in 1998. He had surgery to repair a damaged labrum in his right shoulder following the season but was added to the Tigers' 40-man roster in November. Strengths: Villalobos uses his inside-out swing effectively on pitches to the outer half of the plate. He's starting to show more power as he matures physically. Weaknesses: Villalobos doesn't turn on pitches the way you expect from a corner infielder. He's a below-average runner and hasn't played consistently well in the field. He made 28 errors this season and is coming off major surgery to his throwing shoulder. The Future: Villalobos is stuck on the third-base depth chart behind $36 million free agent Dean Palmer and Gabe Alvarez. The Tigers are mulling a position move to increase his value.