Ambiorix Concepcion Stats & Scouting Report

AB	2630
AVG	.258
OBP	.302
SLG	.392
HR	53

Full name Ambiorix M Concepcion
Born 03/19/1982 in Bajos De Haina, Dominican Republic
Profile Ht.: 6'2" / Wt.: 180 / Bats: R / Throws: R
School Victor Garillo Puello

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

Rated the top prospect in the New York-Penn League in 2004, Concepcion earned a spot on the Mets' 40-man roster. But he took a huge step backward last year, and New York also discovered that he was 19 months older than originally believed. Early in 2005, he tried to pull every pitch he saw in order to put up big power numbers, resulting instead in a lot of weak grounders to shortstop. Low Class A pitchers fed him a steady diet of fastballs in and curveballs away that gave him fits, and his poor grasp of the strike zone and two-strike approach didn't help matters. He has plus raw power but his long swing reduces his ability to make contact. Concepcion has plus speed, outfield range and arm strength, and has split time between center and right field. The Mets will send him to high Class A in 2006 with the hopes he can reaffirm the faith they showed in him when they added him to the 40- man roster.
When scouts saw Concepcion earn recognition as the top prospect in the short-season New York-Penn League last summer, they had a reason to wonder where he came from. One of many Dominicans caught in the visa crackdowns, he previously had been known as Robert Solano, though his age remained the same. Concepcion's pitch recognition improved in 2004, which paid off in increased average and vastly improved power. He projects as a near-.300 hitter with 20-25 homers a year. Though he's only an average runner, he has demonstrated basestealing ability. He plays a solid right field with a plus arm. As good as Concepcion's season was, he still has yet to play in a full-season league. He has been around long enough that the Mets had to protect him on their 40-man roster, which started his options clock ticking. Thanks to a long swing, he strikes out too much. He's also prone to errors. Concepcion will be the marquee player at Hagerstown in 2005. With a successful first half, he could earn a promotion to high Class A.

Minor League Top Prospects

As Jamestown manager Benny Castillo put it, "It's Concepcion, then the rest of the league." Two managers compared his strong, wiry, athletic frame to Vladimir Guerrero's. Concepcion has major five-tool potential. He has a plus arm that's tailor-made for right field and the plus speed to play center and steal bases. He also plays hard and is fast enough to take the extra base if you let him. Some managers were concerned about Concepcion's swing, saying it was long and had holes in it. But he's still just 20 and already has made considerable improvement after hitting .214-0-19 in the Rookie-level Appalachian League last year, his third as a pro. He hit for average and showed some power in the NY-P. "He hasn't learned to work the count, but his ability to make the adjustment and wait on breaking balls has already impressed me," Brooklyn manager Tony Tijerina said. "He's starting to fill out his body, and every day he'll win a ballgame with a different tool."