Cole Figueroa Stats & Scouting Report

AB	77
AVG	.208
OBP	.25
SLG	.286
HR	0

Full name Stephen Cole Figueroa
Born 06/30/1987 in Tallahassee, FL
Profile Ht.: 5'10" / Wt.: 185 / Bats: L / Throws: R
School Florida
Debut 05/16/2014
Drafted in the 6th round (195th overall) by the San Diego Padres in 2008 (signed for $400,000).

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Figueroa is sophomore eligible with bat speed and gap power. At shortstop he makes the routine plays needed for a college player but does not have the range for the pro level.

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

The Padres followed Figueroa, their 2008 sixth-round pick, in the Cape Cod League before signing him in late July for $400,000. His father Bien played briefly for the Cardinals in 1992 and later served as a minor league manager. As such, Cole plays above his tools and has "instincts coming out of both pockets," in the words of one Padres official. Because of his natural feel for hitting, Figueroa began his first full pro season in high Class A, but he aggravated the surgically repaired meniscus in his right knee and missed all of May. He spent three months rehabbing the injury the previous offseason. After batting .187 with no power in high Class A, Figueroa was demoted and played well for Fort Wayne. He works the count, hits all types of pitching and uses the whole field, so he should hit for average. He struggles with pitches on the inner half, however, and has below-average power. Figueroa's thickening lower half translates into well-below-average speed, and he lacks the quickness to handle the demands of shortstop in the big leagues. He has great hands and an average arm, so he probably will wind up at second base, where he saw some action in 2009. Evaluators are mixed on his ultimate ceiling. Some see him as a potential regular, while others see an organizational player. He'll resume his career in high Class A in 2010.
A draft-eligible sophomore, Figueroa went in the sixth round last June and used a strong summer in the Cape Cod League to get a $400,000 bonus. He has the instincts and competitive makeup expected from the son of a former big leaguer. His father Bien went 2-for-11 with the 1992 Cardinals and managed Double-A Connecticut in the Giants system in 2008. Cole's physical tools aren't eye-popping, but he gets the most out of them and repeats a sound swing at the plate. He knows the strike zone and he has some gap power, so he projects as a .280 hitter with 10-15 homers per year. Figueroa's biggest limitation is his speed, which rates as a 35 on the 20-80 scouting scale. His savvy makes him an effective baserunner, but his lack of quickness hurts him at shortstop. Though he played there at Florida and in much of his pro debut, he lacks the range to man the position on a regular basis in the major leagues. His hands and arm are fine, and he projects as an offensive second baseman who offers average to plus defense. Figueroa had minor surgery on his right knee in the fall, but that shouldn't hold him back in 2009, when he could open the season in high Class A.

Minor League Top Prospects

Like Coleman, Figueroa was a draft-eligible sophomore who parlayed a strong summer in the Cape League into a sizeable bonus, signing with the Padres for $400,000. Figueroa's best attributes are his hustle and baseball savvy, which come from his father Bien, who played in the majors and managed Double-A Connecticut in the Giants system this year. Cole is a gamer who plays well above his tools. Figueroa repeats a sound swing, exercises good strike-zone judgment and has the pop to hit 10-15 homers per season. A shortstop in college at Florida, he played both middle-infield positions for Eugene but profiles better at second base, because he's a below-average runner and lacks range. He does have quick feet and a strong arm, assets on the double-play pivot.