Carlos Delgado

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Toronto Blue Jays #2 prospect in 1994
  Signed as a gangly 16-year-old, Delgado spent his first two years in pro ball as a DH. After two years, he assumed full-time catching duty and quickly began to show power. He has 55 home runs the past two seasons, and has at least 100 RBIs and a .300 average in each of those years. Delgado has big-time power potential and he’ll find a spot in the middle of a lineup. Capable of driving the ball to all fields, he has shown impressive discipline, drawing 102 walks in 1993. Learning the defensive art of catching has been a slow process for Delgado, but he made marked improvement in the second half of 1993. He has a strong arm, and as he matured the coordination has started to come. Still, he may not be a major league catcher. Delgado has proven himself in the minors, and is ready for the big leagues. He might not get a chance until midseason.
• 
  Ranked Toronto Blue Jays #1 prospect in 1993
  When he was 6 years old and began playing youth baseball in Puerto Rico, Delgado was so much bigger than the other kids that he was made a catcher. He’s been behind the plate since, and the Blue Jays aren’t about to change that--at least not now. With Delgado’s offensive potential, he only has to be average defensively to be a major asset. After a solid season at low Class A Myrtle Beach in 1991 (.286-18-70), Delgado exploded to top prospect status at high Class A Dunedin in 1992. It’s not just that he hit .324 and led the Florida State League with 30 home runs. It’s that he did it in the most pitching dominated league in the minors. How big a deal is that? Well, since the FSL began, the league leader has averaged 17 home runs. Delgado’s total ranks third on the league’s all-time list, behind Ed Levy, who hit 33 in 1950, and Jim Fuller, who hit 33 in 1971. Delgado’s three-homer game against Charlotte was only the fifth in league history. Signed at 16, Delgado has come a long way from the scared kid who reported to short-season St. Catharines in the summer of 1989 and struggled to hit .180 with just five extra-base hits, all doubles. He had 30 doubles and two triples last year to go with the 30 homers. As impressive as his power has been, Delgado’s plate patience was also impressive. While he struck out 190 times the past two season, he also had 134 walks. Even with opponents pitching around him for much of 1992, he was disciplined enough to draw 59 walks and strike out just 91 times. There is little question Delgado will hit. The question is where he will play. He already is 6-foot-3, 206 pounds, and might get too big to be a catcher. With Delgado's run-production potential, though, the Jays will find a place for him to play and could put him at first base.
• 
  Ranked Toronto Blue Jays #5 prospect in 1992
  Delgado’s bat will be his ticket to the big leagues. He has plus power. After two years at the short-season level, he made his presence felt at low Class A Myrtle Beach with 18 home runs among his 38 extra-base hits. For a younger player, he also shows decent plate discipline, drawing 75 walks to offset 97 strikeouts. The question of position is one the Jays can answer as Delgado moves up in the system. For now, he will be given every chance to catch. He has a strong arm. What isn’t as certain is whether he will develop into a solid receiver. With his size, he’ll have to work constantly to keep his mechanics in sync.
• 
  Ranked Toronto Blue Jays #6 prospect in 1991
  Ed Sprague Jr. had better make a claim to the catching job in Toronto in a hurry, because strong competition is behind him. A big, strong guy, Delgado is just growing into his body and learning to overcome the awkwardness of sudden size. He’s stamped as a definite power prospect. Sent to short-season St. Catharines for the second time in 1990, he adjusted quickly with the bat. He’ll strike out some (65 times in 228 at-bats), but the contact will be worth it. He has a plus catcher’s arm, and shows the athletic skills that indicate the ability to handle the shifting and blocking behind the plate.

Minor League Top Prospects

• 
  Ranked International League #7 prospect in 1995
  Delgado ranked third on this list in 1994, and his repeat inclusion means two things. He hasn’t established himself in the big leagues, but he still has intriguing skills. His calling card is his stick, though one manager said he thought Delgado was going to be an underachiever. He still stands at the plate and launches home runs of jaw-dropping proportions. Toronto has shuffled him from behind the plate to the outfield and now to first base at Syracuse. Delgado is athletic and has good hands, and most managers believe he can settle in at first. “He needs a position to play,” Columbus manager Bill Evers said. “But he can hit, and he’s got serious juice.”
• 
  Ranked International League #3 prospect in 1994
  Electrical storms don’t have much more thunder and lightning than Delgado does in his bat. A self-described streak hitter, Delgado launched homers to all fields for Syracuse. “He’s the kind of hitter you’d travel to see hit,” said one manager. Managers have no doubt Delgado will be a huge run-producer as a major leaguer. The question is, where will he play? “I’m not sure he’s going to be a catcher,” said another manager. “If he’s not a catcher, I’m not sure he has a position. His throwing is below-average. Blocking balls is below-average. His receiving is not great, either.”
• 
  Ranked Southern League #2 prospect in 1993
  A lefthanded hitter, Delgado led the league in both home runs and RBIs and was one of just eight .300 hitters. And that came on the heels of a monster 30-homer season in the Florida State League in 1992. “He can hit,” said Garth Iorg, his manager at Knoxville. “His catching has come a long way. Some people think he ought to move to another position, but I think he can catch in the big leagues.” "He has the best power and was the best hitter in the league,” Birmingham manager Terry Francona said.
• 
  Ranked Florida State League #1 prospect in 1992
  It isn’t often that the top draft pick from the previous season (Brien Taylor) loses out in many contests. But that’s how good Delgado was this year. The Dunedin catcher broke so many records, he wasn’t sure how many he now owns. Delgado even admits he’s a little surprised at the .324-30-100 year he had. The key was concentrating on making contact. Defensively he has some work to do, but his bat should take him places. “He’s a run producer who puts the ball in play.”
• 
  Ranked South Atlantic League #3 prospect in 1991
  A Northern Division manager who has seen Delgado in each of the last three seasons wasn’t at all surprised to find the 19-year-old Puerto Rican among the league’s top hitters. He batted .286-18-71 for Myrtle Beach before a late promotion to Triple-A Syracuse. Others were stunned by the overall package. Delgado’s defense is superb. He is 6-foot-3, 206 pounds and missed just two of 134 games at Myrtle Beach. “Delgado is a man playing against boys,” Greensboro manager Trey Hillman said. “He has power to right and left. He has durability. He put his numbers up playing every day. And defensively, he sets up well, gives a big target, has a quick release and has a great attitude.
• 
  Ranked New York-Penn League #4 prospect in 1990
  Delgado has everything scouts look for in a young catcher: a strong arm, aggressiveness behind the plate, intelligence and a decent bat. “He’s a franchise catcher,” said one member of the Blue Jays’ player development program of the St. Catharines catcher. “He’s not just a prospect, he’s the No. 1 prospect in our whole organization.”

Top 100 Rankings

• Ranked Baseball America's #5 prospect in 1994
• Ranked Baseball America's #4 prospect in 1993
• Ranked Baseball America's #67 prospect in 1992

• December, 1994 Scouting Report
  Delgado ranked third on this list in 1994, and his repeat inclusion means two things. He hasn’t established himself in the big leagues, but he still has intriguing skills. His calling card is his stick, though one manager said he thought Delgado was going to be an underachiever. He still stands at the plate and launches home runs of jaw-dropping proportions. Toronto has shuffled him from behind the plate to the outfield and now to first base at Syracuse. Delgado is athletic and has good hands, and most managers believe he can settle in at first. “He needs a position to play,” Columbus manager Bill Evers said. “But he can hit, and he’s got serious juice.”
• December, 1993 Scouting Report
  Signed as a gangly 16-year-old, Delgado spent his first two years in pro ball as a DH. After two years, he assumed full-time catching duty and quickly began to show power. He has 55 home runs the past two seasons, and has at least 100 RBIs and a .300 average in each of those years. Delgado has big-time power potential and he’ll find a spot in the middle of a lineup. Capable of driving the ball to all fields, he has shown impressive discipline, drawing 102 walks in 1993. Learning the defensive art of catching has been a slow process for Delgado, but he made marked improvement in the second half of 1993. He has a strong arm, and as he matured the coordination has started to come. Still, he may not be a major league catcher. Delgado has proven himself in the minors, and is ready for the big leagues. He might not get a chance until midseason.
• December, 1993 Scouting Report
  Electrical storms don’t have much more thunder and lightning than Delgado does in his bat. A self-described streak hitter, Delgado launched homers to all fields for Syracuse. “He’s the kind of hitter you’d travel to see hit,” said one manager. Managers have no doubt Delgado will be a huge run-producer as a major leaguer. The question is, where will he play? “I’m not sure he’s going to be a catcher,” said another manager. “If he’s not a catcher, I’m not sure he has a position. His throwing is below-average. Blocking balls is below-average. His receiving is not great, either.”
• December, 1992 Scouting Report
  When he was 6 years old and began playing youth baseball in Puerto Rico, Delgado was so much bigger than the other kids that he was made a catcher. He’s been behind the plate since, and the Blue Jays aren’t about to change that--at least not now. With Delgado’s offensive potential, he only has to be average defensively to be a major asset. After a solid season at low Class A Myrtle Beach in 1991 (.286-18-70), Delgado exploded to top prospect status at high Class A Dunedin in 1992. It’s not just that he hit .324 and led the Florida State League with 30 home runs. It’s that he did it in the most pitching dominated league in the minors. How big a deal is that? Well, since the FSL began, the league leader has averaged 17 home runs. Delgado’s total ranks third on the league’s all-time list, behind Ed Levy, who hit 33 in 1950, and Jim Fuller, who hit 33 in 1971. Delgado’s three-homer game against Charlotte was only the fifth in league history. Signed at 16, Delgado has come a long way from the scared kid who reported to short-season St. Catharines in the summer of 1989 and struggled to hit .180 with just five extra-base hits, all doubles. He had 30 doubles and two triples last year to go with the 30 homers. As impressive as his power has been, Delgado’s plate patience was also impressive. While he struck out 190 times the past two season, he also had 134 walks. Even with opponents pitching around him for much of 1992, he was disciplined enough to draw 59 walks and strike out just 91 times. There is little question Delgado will hit. The question is where he will play. He already is 6-foot-3, 206 pounds, and might get too big to be a catcher. With Delgado's run-production potential, though, the Jays will find a place for him to play and could put him at first base.
• December, 1992 Scouting Report
  A lefthanded hitter, Delgado led the league in both home runs and RBIs and was one of just eight .300 hitters. And that came on the heels of a monster 30-homer season in the Florida State League in 1992. “He can hit,” said Garth Iorg, his manager at Knoxville. “His catching has come a long way. Some people think he ought to move to another position, but I think he can catch in the big leagues.” "He has the best power and was the best hitter in the league,” Birmingham manager Terry Francona said.
• December, 1991 Scouting Report
  Delgado’s bat will be his ticket to the big leagues. He has plus power. After two years at the short-season level, he made his presence felt at low Class A Myrtle Beach with 18 home runs among his 38 extra-base hits. For a younger player, he also shows decent plate discipline, drawing 75 walks to offset 97 strikeouts. The question of position is one the Jays can answer as Delgado moves up in the system. For now, he will be given every chance to catch. He has a strong arm. What isn’t as certain is whether he will develop into a solid receiver. With his size, he’ll have to work constantly to keep his mechanics in sync.
• December, 1991 Scouting Report
  It isn’t often that the top draft pick from the previous season (Brien Taylor) loses out in many contests. But that’s how good Delgado was this year. The Dunedin catcher broke so many records, he wasn’t sure how many he now owns. Delgado even admits he’s a little surprised at the .324-30-100 year he had. The key was concentrating on making contact. Defensively he has some work to do, but his bat should take him places. “He’s a run producer who puts the ball in play.”
• December, 1990 Scouting Report
  Ed Sprague Jr. had better make a claim to the catching job in Toronto in a hurry, because strong competition is behind him. A big, strong guy, Delgado is just growing into his body and learning to overcome the awkwardness of sudden size. He’s stamped as a definite power prospect. Sent to short-season St. Catharines for the second time in 1990, he adjusted quickly with the bat. He’ll strike out some (65 times in 228 at-bats), but the contact will be worth it. He has a plus catcher’s arm, and shows the athletic skills that indicate the ability to handle the shifting and blocking behind the plate.
• December, 1990 Scouting Report
  A Northern Division manager who has seen Delgado in each of the last three seasons wasn’t at all surprised to find the 19-year-old Puerto Rican among the league’s top hitters. He batted .286-18-71 for Myrtle Beach before a late promotion to Triple-A Syracuse. Others were stunned by the overall package. Delgado’s defense is superb. He is 6-foot-3, 206 pounds and missed just two of 134 games at Myrtle Beach. “Delgado is a man playing against boys,” Greensboro manager Trey Hillman said. “He has power to right and left. He has durability. He put his numbers up playing every day. And defensively, he sets up well, gives a big target, has a quick release and has a great attitude.
• December, 1989 Scouting Report
  Delgado has everything scouts look for in a young catcher: a strong arm, aggressiveness behind the plate, intelligence and a decent bat. “He’s a franchise catcher,” said one member of the Blue Jays’ player development program of the St. Catharines catcher. “He’s not just a prospect, he’s the No. 1 prospect in our whole organization.”