Wagner Mateo

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Arizona Diamondbacks #31 prospect in 2012
  Mateo was one of the most heavily pursued players on the international market in 2009, signing with the Cardinals for $3.1 million on July 2, the first day he was eligible. St. Louis later voided that deal when its doctors found problems with his vision, and he signed with the Diamondbacks in May 2010 for $512,000. As it turns out, the Cardinals' concerns with Mateo's vision were justified. In his U.S. debut last year, he had trouble reading good fastballs and had to move from center field to first base when he had difficulty tracking fly balls in the high Arizona skies. Mateo still has the raw power to be a middle-of-the-order hitter, hitting balls 400-plus feet to the opposite field at times. He also has some glaring mechanical flaws in his swing, as he has trouble getting through to the ball. He worked on improving his stroke in instructional league after striking out 88 times in 206 regular-season at-bats. Mateo has average speed, though he figures to slow down as he fills out. He has well above-average arm strength but is not especially accurate. He needs to mature, as he's a sensitive kid who gets down on himself and shows it on the field. The biggest question with Mateo relates to his vision, and whether it can be corrected remains to be seen. He may be best served by repeating the Rookie-level Arizona League in 2012.
• 
  Ranked Arizona Diamondbacks #19 prospect in 2011
  Mateo was one of the most heavily recruited Latin players during the 2009 international signing period, sign-ing with the Cardinals on July 2 for a $3.1 million bonus. The Cardinals later voided the deal when their doctors found problems with Mateo's vision. He tried out for various teams during spring training 2010 and eventually came to terms with the Diamondbacks in May for $512,000. He made his pro debut in the Dominican Summer League before coming to the United States for instructional league in the fall. Mateo has a strong, athletic body and has a chance to be a major league corner outfielder. He has a good swing path, and the ball screams off his bat. His power is better to left-center. To become more consistent, he'll need to stop trying to yank everything and trust his natural power. He would benefit from better control of the strike zone after ranking second in the DSL with 83 strikeouts. Mateo has well-above-average arm strength, but his throws aren't very accurate and he's still a raw defender in the outfield. His speed is average right now, and he'll probably slow down as he gets big-ger. As for his eyesight, the Diamondbacks believe Mateo's problems in 2009 resulted from using hard contact lenses without the proper solution. The true test will be when he plays for one of the Diamondbacks short-season affiliates in his first season in the States.