Julian Yan Stats & Scouting Report

Top Rankings

Yan spent two lackluster seasons in the Dominican Summer League before making his domestic debut in 2011. He showed glimpses of his talent then but was inconsistent, not unusual for a 19-year-old playing in the United States for the first time. He returned to the Pioneer League in 2012 and led the league in homers (16), though he also struck out in nearly one-third of his at-bats. Yan has easy power but often tries to force it by swinging hard, and worse, doing it with complex mechanics. He waggled his bat up and down and employed a toe tap with a leg kick, conflicting movements that meant he had to make decisions very early and resulted in fishing for balls and striking out often. He simplified his swing, making changes that got his hands ready sooner, and in the second half batted .313/.383/.664 with 12 homers. He has plus bat speed, and as long as he doesn't try too hard to hit the ball far, he has enough power to develop into a big-time home run hitter with piles of doubles, particularly at Coors Field. Yan has a tremendous arm and runs well enough to develop into a very good outfielder, though he can improve his routes in right field. He will play at Asheville in 2013.

In his fourth year in Rookie ball and second straight in the Pioneer League, Yan led the circuit with 16 homers. Some evaluators grade his raw power as an 80 on the 20-80 scouting scale. "There's 30 home runs in there at the major league level," Diaz said. Yan strikes out a lot and doesn't project to hit for a high average, though he did show more patience at the plate this summer when opponents began to pitch around him. He's an average runner who can steal an occasional base. His well above-average arm fits well in right field and could lead to a career on the mound if hitting doesn't work out.