Osleivis Basabe Stats & Scouting Report

AB	37
AVG	.27
OBP	.404
SLG	.541
HR	2

Full name Osleivis Jose Basabe
Born 09/13/2000 in Bobures, Venezuela
Profile Ht.: 5'11" / Wt.: 188 / Bats: R / Throws: R

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

BA Grade: 45/Medium

Track Record: The Rays don’t win every trade in which they flip a major leaguer for a package of minor leaguers, and the December 2020 trade that sent Nathaniel Lowe to the Rangers for Basabe, Heriberto Hernandez and Alexander Ovalles is one Tampa Bay might want back. But Basabe has given the Rays some usefulness. He made his MLB debut in August 2023, becoming the Rays’ everyday shortstop when Taylor Walls was on the injured list and Wander Franco was placed on the restricted list.

Scouting Report: In an organization that has been filled with middle infield prospects, Basabe has climbed the ladder and pushed other prospects to the side because of his steady, reliable production. The Rays have traded away Xavier Edwards, Vidal Brujan and Tristan Gray, clearing a path for Basabe. While he struggled in his first MLB action, Basabe has shown he can be an above-average hitter but with limited power. He’s an aggressive hitter who feasts on pitches up in the zone and has above-average contact skills, but he’s a line-drive hitter who doesn’t hit many home runs. The Rays have bounced Basabe all around the infield. He’s a reliable, average defender at shortstop and third base with an average, accurate arm. He’s above-average at second base, but his ability to make the routine play at any infield position led to his callup. He’s a plus runner, but he’s not a particularly aggressive basestealer.

The Future: Ideally, Basabe is a part-time player or utility infielder who can provide reliable defense at three positions. With Walls recovering from hip surgery and Franco facing legal issues, Basabe could end up as Tampa Bay’s Opening Day shortstop in 2024.

Scouting Grades Hit: 55 | Power: 30 | Run: 60 | Field: 50 | Arm: 50
BA Grade/Risk: 50/High

Track Record: The Rangers signed Basabe with some of the bonus room they had acquired in their attempt to sign Shohei Ohtani. Texas, then traded him to the Rays in a six-player deal that sent Nate Lowe to the Rangers. Basabe has shown an intelligent, heady approach at the plate and in the field, but he's not the twitchy athlete he appeared to be when he signed out of Venezuela.

Scouting Report: Basabe is a career .316 minor league hitter who didn't look out of place as a teenager playing in the Venezuelan Winter League. As one of the youngest players in the Southern League, his .333 batting average was best in the league among hitters with 200 or more plate appearances. Basabe hits the ball hard with a level swing that produces tons of contact and hard line drives, but few lofted fly balls. Unless he revamps his swing, he projects as a plus hitter with below-average power. Basabe rarely misses a hittable pitch in the strike zone. Defensively, he has only average hands and feet and an average arm, but he slows the game down, rarely rushes himself and has a quick release that allows his arm to work at second or third base.

The Future: It says something for Basabe's development that the Rays added him to the 40-man roster while trading Xavier Edwards to the Marlins. Basabe should compete for a spot with Triple-A Durham in spring training. His baseball IQ and bat-to-ball skills could get him to St. Petersburg before his 23rd birthday.

Scouting Grades: Hit: 60. Power: 40. Run: 55. Field: 50. Arm: 50.
Track Record: When the Rangers failed to sign Shohei Ohtani, they turned some of the bonus pool space they had acquired to pursue Ohtani to sign Basabe for $550,000. The Rangers then traded Basabe in the deal that sent Nate Lowe to Texas. Basabe’s younger brother Edgar is now a player in the Rangers’ system.

Scouting Report: When Basabe couldn’t travel back to Venezuela for the first half of the pandemic he made the best of it by working on getting stronger. Basabe is a pretty pure hitter with a line drive-oriented swing that stays in the zone a long time. He’s a premium athlete with plus speed and a plus arm. His swing isn’t geared to power right now, but he has the strength to get to average power as he matures if he makes some tweaks. He bounced around the infield because he shared the diamond with Alika Williams, but he’s a capable, above-average shortstop and potentially plus at second or third. He was a plus center fielder as an amateur as well.

The Future: The Rays will be trying to stuff nine to ten infielders into six to eight spots on the Class A teams. That may mean Basabe plays less shortstop and more around the infield at High-A Bowling Green.
TRACK RECORD: Basabe, who was signed for $500,000 as part of the 2017 international signing class, stood out as an amateur because of his quick-twitch athleticism, but he has also posted impressive offensive numbers in his first two years of pro ball.

SCOUTING REPORT: Basabe's swing isn't pure and his bat path isn't ideal, but he has quick hands, generates fast bat speed and has the hand-eye coordination to make a lot of contact. He's susceptible to chasing, but when he swings at a pitch in the zone, he doesn't miss much. He mostly has gap power with a line-drive approach, but he could grow into 10-15 home run juice once he gets stronger. Basabe is a plus runner with a plus arm. He has the tools to stick at shortstop and could be an average fielder there, though he's still cleaning up his defensive actions to get to that point.

THE FUTURE: There's still rawness to Basabe's game despite his numbers, but the combination of barrel awareness and athleticism up the middle is promising. Low Class A Hickory is his next step.
Track Record: After missing out on Shohei Ohtani, the Rangers had extra bonus pool space available in December 2017. Part of their Plan B included signing Basabe, who received a $550,000 bonus. As an amateur, Basabe stood out for his premium speed and athleticism in the middle of the diamond, though several teams saw a lot of risk in his bat. However, Basabe didn't look raw offensively in his pro debut, ranking third in the Dominican Summer League in hitting with nearly as many walks as strikeouts.

Scouting Report: Basabe has quick hands and he uses them well in his swing to snap the barrel through the zone. He will chase pitches out of the zone with off-balance swings, but when he swings at strikes he doesn't miss much because he has good feel for the barrel. His power is mostly for doubles right now, though in a few years he could grow into 10-15 home run power. Basabe is a plus-plus runner, and while Basabe spent some time in center field as an amateur and a lot of scouts like him better as an outfielder, Basabe prefers to play shortstop and has shown enough to continue playing the position. His arm plays better in the infield and is now plus.

The Future: A breakout prospect candidate, Basabe should jump to the Rookie-level Arizona League in 2019.

Scouting Reports

BA Grade/Risk: 50/High

Track Record: The Rangers signed Basabe with some of the bonus room they had acquired in their attempt to sign Shohei Ohtani. Texas, then traded him to the Rays in a six-player deal that sent Nate Lowe to the Rangers. Basabe has shown an intelligent, heady approach at the plate and in the field, but he's not the twitchy athlete he appeared to be when he signed out of Venezuela.

Scouting Report: Basabe is a career .316 minor league hitter who didn't look out of place as a teenager playing in the Venezuelan Winter League. As one of the youngest players in the Southern League, his .333 batting average was best in the league among hitters with 200 or more plate appearances. Basabe hits the ball hard with a level swing that produces tons of contact and hard line drives, but few lofted fly balls. Unless he revamps his swing, he projects as a plus hitter with below-average power. Basabe rarely misses a hittable pitch in the strike zone. Defensively, he has only average hands and feet and an average arm, but he slows the game down, rarely rushes himself and has a quick release that allows his arm to work at second or third base.

The Future: It says something for Basabe's development that the Rays added him to the 40-man roster while trading Xavier Edwards to the Marlins. Basabe should compete for a spot with Triple-A Durham in spring training. His baseball IQ and bat-to-ball skills could get him to St. Petersburg before his 23rd birthday.

Scouting Grades: Hit: 60. Power: 40. Run: 55. Field: 50. Arm: 50.
BA Grade/Risk: 50/High

Track Record: The Rangers signed Basabe with some of the bonus room they had acquired in their attempt to sign Shohei Ohtani. Texas, then traded him to the Rays in a six-player deal that sent Nate Lowe to the Rangers. Basabe has shown an intelligent, heady approach at the plate and in the field, but he's not the twitchy athlete he appeared to be when he signed out of Venezuela.

Scouting Report: Basabe is a career .316 minor league hitter who didn't look out of place as a teenager playing in the Venezuelan Winter League. As one of the youngest players in the Southern League, his .333 batting average was best in the league among hitters with 200 or more plate appearances. Basabe hits the ball hard with a level swing that produces tons of contact and hard line drives, but few lofted fly balls. Unless he revamps his swing, he projects as a plus hitter with below-average power. Basabe rarely misses a hittable pitch in the strike zone. Defensively, he has only average hands and feet and an average arm, but he slows the game down, rarely rushes himself and has a quick release that allows his arm to work at second or third base.

The Future: It says something for Basabe's development that the Rays added him to the 40-man roster while trading Xavier Edwards to the Marlins. Basabe should compete for a spot with Triple-A Durham in spring training. His baseball IQ and bat-to-ball skills could get him to St. Petersburg before his 23rd birthday.

Scouting Grades: Hit: 60. Power: 40. Run: 55. Field: 50. Arm: 50.
BA Grade: 50/High

Track Record:: When the Rangers failed to sign Shohei Ohtani, they turned some of the bonus pool space they had acquired to pursue Ohtani to sign Basabe for $550,000. The Rangers then traded Basabe in the deal that sent Nate Lowe to Texas. Basabe&#39s younger brother Edgar is now a player in the Rangers&#39 system.

Scouting Report: When Basabe couldn&#39t travel back to Venezuela for the first half of the pandemic he made the best of it by working on getting stronger. Basabe is a pretty pure hitter with a line drive-oriented swing that stays in the zone a long time. He&#39s a premium athlete with plus speed and a plus arm. His swing isn&#39t geared to power right now, but he has the strength to get to average power as he matures if he makes some tweaks. He bounced around the infield because he shared the diamond with Alika Williams, but he&#39s a capable, above-average shortstop and potentially plus at second or third. He was a plus center fielder as an amateur as well.

The Future: The Rays will be trying to stuff nine to ten infielders into six to eight spots on the Class A teams. That may mean Basabe plays less shortstop and more around the infield at High-A Bowling Green.
Track Record: When the Rangers failed to sign Shohei Ohtani, they turned some of the bonus pool space they had acquired to pursue Ohtani to sign Basabe for $550,000. The Rangers then traded Basabe in the deal that sent Nate Lowe to Texas. Basabe’s younger brother Edgar is now a player in the Rangers’ system.

Scouting Report: When Basabe couldn’t travel back to Venezuela for the first half of the pandemic he made the best of it by working on getting stronger. Basabe is a pretty pure hitter with a line drive-oriented swing that stays in the zone a long time. He’s a premium athlete with plus speed and a plus arm. His swing isn’t geared to power right now, but he has the strength to get to average power as he matures if he makes some tweaks. He bounced around the infield because he shared the diamond with Alika Williams, but he’s a capable, above-average shortstop and potentially plus at second or third. He was a plus center fielder as an amateur as well.

The Future: The Rays will be trying to stuff nine to ten infielders into six to eight spots on the Class A teams. That may mean Basabe plays less shortstop and more around the infield at High-A Bowling Green.
TRACK RECORD: Basabe, who was signed for $500,000 as part of the 2017 international signing class, stood out as an amateur because of his quick-twitch athleticism, but he has also posted impressive offensive numbers in his first two years of pro ball.

SCOUTING REPORT: Basabe’s swing isn’t pure and his bat path isn’t ideal, but he has quick hands, generates fast bat speed and has the hand-eye coordination to make a lot of contact. He’s susceptible to chasing, but when he swings at a pitch in the zone, he doesn’t miss much. He mostly has gap power with a line-drive approach, but he could grow into 10-15 home run juice once he gets stronger. Basabe is a plus runner with a plus arm. He has the tools to stick at shortstop and could be an average fielder there, though he’s still cleaning up his defensive actions to get to that point.

THE FUTURE: There’s still rawness to Basabe’s game despite his numbers, but the combination of barrel awareness and athleticism up the middle is promising. Low Class A Hickory is his next step.
TRACK RECORD: Basabe, who was signed for $500,000 as part of the 2017 international signing class, stood out as an amateur because of his quick-twitch athleticism, but he has also posted impressive offensive numbers in his first two years of pro ball.

SCOUTING REPORT: Basabe's swing isn't pure and his bat path isn't ideal, but he has quick hands, generates fast bat speed and has the hand-eye coordination to make a lot of contact. He's susceptible to chasing, but when he swings at a pitch in the zone, he doesn't miss much. He mostly has gap power with a line-drive approach, but he could grow into 10-15 home run juice once he gets stronger. Basabe is a plus runner with a plus arm. He has the tools to stick at shortstop and could be an average fielder there, though he's still cleaning up his defensive actions to get to that point.

THE FUTURE: There's still rawness to Basabe's game despite his numbers, but the combination of barrel awareness and athleticism up the middle is promising. Low Class A Hickory is his next step.