Danry Vasquez

Organization Prospect Rankings

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  Ranked Houston Astros #30 prospect in 2015
  The Tigers signed Vasquez in July 2010 for $1.4 million, and the Astros acquired the lefty swinger at the 2013 deadline for reliever Jose Veras. The 6-foot-3 Vasquez has an innate ability to hit and control the bat, but evaluators question how much power he will develop. Vasquez has been pegged as a below-average runner and defender. He has more feel to hit than raw power, though one scout said he projects to have average power because he will fill out. He would need to add significant power to profile as a starting left fielder, though he has feel for the barrel and controls the strike zone well enough to perhaps fill a part-time role. The Astros did not protect Vasquez from the Rule 5 draft, though no team selected him.
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  Ranked Houston Astros #29 prospect in 2014
  The Tigers are not a team that typically spends big money on any one prospect in Latin America, but they made an exception for Vasquez. He signed for $1.4 million, setting a team record for an international bonus. Because of Vasquez's simple swing and feel for hitting, the Tigers moved him aggressively through the system. That helped the Astros get a good look at him in time for the 2013 trade deadline, when they acquired him for righthander Jose Veras. Vasquez always has shown an ability to hit for average because he has a short, lefthanded swing that can spray line drives. But because he can put the bat on the ball so well, he hasn't learned to be selective yet. Vasquez doesn't have much present strength, another obstacle to hitting for power. Scouts who like him see him as a bat-first outfielder who will develop average to a tick above pop as he fills out. He faces pressure to do so, as his below-average speed and below-average arm limit him to left field, where he's a poor defender now. On the bases, Vasquez is aggressive at times but probably not a factor when it comes to stealing bases. His bat will have to get him to the big leagues, because he doesn't add value to a team in other ways. He should find the exceptional hitting conditions at high Class A Lancaster to his liking in 2014.
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  Ranked Detroit Tigers #6 prospect in 2013
  The Tigers scouted Vasquez for two years before signing him for $1.2 million, their largest bonus ever for a Venezuelan amateur. The youngest player in the Midwest League at the start of the 2012 season, he was overmatched by low Class A pitching as an 18-year-old. Following a demotion, he rebounded to lead the short-season New York-Penn League with 90 hits. Vasquez has an advanced approach at the plate and good pitch recognition for his age. He has explosive bat speed and a compact, balanced swing. He has a quiet load, creates natural leverage and has a knack for centering the ball. He shows advanced feel for driving pitches the other way and has power to all parts of the park. Most of Vasquez's value comes from his offense. He's a below-average runner who's still learning how to read the ball off the bat and take proper routes in the outfield. He's likely limited to left field--so the bat will really have to play--and he has a solid arm. Vasquez will get another crack at the Midwest League in 2013, when he'll still be one of the circuit's youngest players at age 19. As he adds strength, he projects as a solid hitter with plus power potential.
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  Ranked Detroit Tigers #18 prospect in 2012
  One of the most aggressive teams in Venezuela, the Tigers scouted Vasquez for two years before signing him for $1.2 million in 2010. That was their largest expenditure ever on a Venezuelan amateur and one that surprised many other teams that were skeptical of his profile. Detroit was more enthusiastic about his bat than any club and was gratified to see him hold his own in the Gulf Coast League last summer at age 17. Vasquez has broad shoulders, a high waist and a skinny frame. He handles the bat well and has a good idea of what he's doing at the plate for his age, hitting line drives to all fields. Gaining strength will be critical for Vasquez, who doesn't have much pop right now. He'll need more than gap power to profile as a corner outfielder, and several scouts question whether he could develop it after seeing him as an amateur. A below-average runner, Vasquez played right field in his pro debut. His fringy arm may be a better fit in left field, though he could develop more arm strength as he matures physically. The Tigers could jump him to low Class A as an 18-year-old, though he'd still be one of the youngest players in the short-season New York-Penn League if they more conservatively sent him to Connecticut.
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  Ranked Detroit Tigers #24 prospect in 2011
  Vasquez represents a rare exception to the Tigers' usually thrifty approach in Latin America, as they paid $1.2 million to sign him out of Venezuela in July. He had been on the team's radar since he was 14, which made Detroit more comfortable giving him the largest international signing bonus in team history. With broad shoulders and a high waist on his 6-foot-2, 170-pound frame, Vasquez has room to add muscle and projects to be a physical player in four or five years. There are a lot of moving parts to his swing right now and he was overmatched against the competition in instructional league, but his raw tools are exciting. He has above-average bat speed and good barrel control. He uses the whole field and should grow into home run power as he gets stronger. Vasquez has played some center field, but his average speed and plus arm have him destined for right field. He'll make his pro debut in Rookie ball this year, probably in the Venezuelan Summer League.

Minor League Top Prospects

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  Ranked New York-Penn League #9 prospect in 2012
  The Tigers surprised many international scouts by signing Vasquez for a $1.2 million bonus in 2010, their largest-ever expenditure for a Venezuelan amateur. He has proven precocious in his first two pro seasons, though he struggled as an 18-year-old in low Class A at the start of this season before leading the league with 90 hits. "For 18 years old, he has an advanced batting approach," Connecticut manager Andrew Graham said. "On 0-2 he has a great approach--he can spray the ball from line to line. He's got a great ability to put the bat on the ball, no matter where it is. It's one of those uncanny things." Vasquez has quiet hands and a short, compact stroke, giving him a knack for making consistent, hard contact. He has wiry strength and quick hands, plus good leverage and loft in his swing, giving him a chance to be a solid hitter with solid power as he fills out his lean frame. A slightly below-average runner who profiles as a left fielder, he has a long way to go defensively but has a solid arm.
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  Ranked Florida Complex League #10 prospect in 2011
  Vasquez's $1.2 million bonus last year surprised several international scouts, but the Tigers believed enough in his bat to award him the highest international amateur bonus in franchise history. While Detroit typically has used its Dominican and Venezuelan summer teams for first-year international signees, Vasquez made his pro debut in the GCL at age 17 and wasn't overmatched. Vasquez handles the bat well for his age with a line-drive swing and a good idea of what he's doing at the plate. He has athleticism and a thin frame with room to fill out. Gaining strength will be crucial because he'll have to hit for more than his present gap power as a corner outfielder. A below-average runner, he's a right fielder with a fringy arm that could improve as he matures physically.

• December, 2012 Scouting Report
  Background: The Tigers scouted Vasquez for two years before signing him for $1.2 million, their largest bonus ever for a Venezuelan amateur. The youngest player in the Midwest League at the start of the 2012 season, he was overmatched by low Class A pitching as an 18-year-old. Following a demotion, he rebounded to lead the short-season New York-Penn League with 90 hits. Scouting Report: Vasquez has an advanced approach at the plate and good pitch recognition for his age. He has explosive bat speed and a compact, balanced swing. He has a quiet load, creates natural leverage and has a knack for centering the ball. He shows advanced feel for driving pitches the other way and has power to all parts of the park. Most of Vasquez's value comes from his offense. He's a below-average runner who's still learning how to read the ball off the bat and take proper routes in the outfield. He's likely limited to left field--so the bat will really have to play--and he has a solid arm. The Future: Vasquez will get another crack at the Midwest League in 2013, when he'll still be one of the circuit's youngest players at age 19. As he adds strength, he projects as a solid hitter with plus power potential.