Born12/31/1987 in Bajos De Haina, Dominican Republic
ProfileHt.: 6'0" / Wt.: 170 / Bats: R / Throws: R
Top Rankings
Organization Prospect Rankings
Asencio spent two seasons in the Rookie-level Dominican Summer League before making his domestic debut with Missoula last year. He got off to a horrendous start, hitting .194 in his first month, but three multihit games won him player-of-the-week honors in the Pioneer League and seemed to get his swing dialed in, and he raised his average by 100 points over the rest of the season. Asencio is a collection of intriguing tools at this point, and the Diamondbacks are trying to harness and polish them. His baseball experience has been limited, so they're just excited that he has responded well to the challenges they've thrown at him. He has drawn comparisons to Juan Encarnacion not just for his build, but for his set-up at the plate, the power potential in his bat and his plus throwing arm. He has wiry strength and shows a knack for manipulating the barrel of the bat and generating good bat speed. Plate discipline is a foreign concept to him at this point, but if he gets to a pitch he can drive it. It's too early to say exactly what Asencio will be, but he's an interesting athlete with several potential plus tools. He'll be a project and could spend some more time in extended spring training before reporting to Yakima in June.
Download our app
Read the newest magazine issue right on your phone