Raimfer Salinas

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked New York Yankees #21 prospect in 2021
  TRACK RECORD: When Shohei Ohtani declined the Yankees' offer in 2017, the team turned their attention and remaining slot money to a pair of promising Latin outfielders: Antonio Cabello and Salinas. His 2018 season was limited to 11 games by injuries to his knee and ring finger, which led to him repeating the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League in 2019.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: In 2019, the Yankees worked with Salinas to find a swing that got to the strike zone quicker and stayed there longer. As with many players at that level, they also worked with him to refine his command of the strike zone and get him to unleash on pitches he could drive. Outside scouts noted a player whose shorter arms give him a better chance to more quickly close holes in the zone, as well as someone who looked calm in the box. He's an explosive runner who has a chance to stick in center field.
  
  THE FUTURE: Though he wasn't at the alternate training site, Salinas did get a taste of in-person instruction at the Yankees' Dominican Republic instructional league in December. He's got a lot of catching up to do, but there's still a ceiling waiting to be achieved.
• 
  Ranked New York Yankees #26 prospect in 2020
  TRACK RECORD: When Shohei Ohtani chose the Angels in 2017, the Yankees took the international slot money they'd accumulated and shifted it to Salinas and fellow outfielder Antonio Cabello. Salinas' 2018 season was truncated because of injuries to his knee and ring finger, so 2019 stood for all intents and purposes as his first extended test as a pro.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Beyond what showed up on the field, Salinas' biggest strides in 2019 came behind the scenes. The Yankees worked with him to find a more consistent swing that kept the bat in the zone for a longer period of time. They also worked with him to sharpen his approach and keep him from chasing as many pitches out of the zone. Scouts outside the organization saw a player with plus bat speed, explosive footspeed and a chance to stick in center field. They also noted that his shorter arms could help him get the barrel to high-velocity fastballs sooner.
  
  THE FUTURE: Salinas still has plenty of refinement to go, but his ceiling is still very high.
• 
  Ranked New York Yankees #28 prospect in 2019
  Track Record: After Shohei Ohtani signed with the Angels, the Yankees, who had accumulated extra bonus-pool money in the hopes of signing the Japanese two-way star, shifted some of that money to Salinas. The outfielder possessed one of the best all-around skill sets available in the 2017 international class, and ranked No. 10 among that year’s July 2 prospects.
  
  Scouting Report: Salinas shows excellent balance at the plate, with an all-fields approach and fringe-average power now that has the potential to develop further as he matures. He didn’t get to show off those tools in 2018 because of a swollen knee and a ligament injury to his ring finger that limited him to just 11 games, though he did make his stateside debut as a 17-year-old. When healthy, he shows double-plus speed, a strong throwing arm and the ability to glide to balls in center field.
  
  The Future: After a lost 2018 season, Salinas will likely return to the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League in 2019.

Minor League Top Prospects

• 
  Ranked Florida Complex League #11 prospect in 2019
  Salinas received the biggest bonus the Yankees gave an international player in the 2017-18 signing period when he inked a $1.85 million deal in December 2017. He showed a mix of solid performance and strong tools this year in the GCL. He has a lean, athletic frame and projects to stick in center field, where he's a plus runner with an easy gait who moves around well in the outfield. He takes good routes and has an above-average arm as well. At the plate, Salinas has good bat speed, makes hard contact when he connects and should have at least average raw power. He has a sound swing and uses the whole field, but his pitch recognition skills need to improve and he's prone to expanding the strike zone, which leads to a higher swing-and-miss rate.

• July, 2021 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: When Shohei Ohtani declined the Yankees' offer in 2017, the team turned their attention and remaining slot money to a pair of promising Latin outfielders: Antonio Cabello and Salinas. His 2018 season was limited to 11 games by injuries to his knee and ring finger, which led to him repeating the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League in 2019.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: In 2019, the Yankees worked with Salinas to find a swing that got to the strike zone quicker and stayed there longer. As with many players at that level, they also worked with him to refine his command of the strike zone and get him to unleash on pitches he could drive. Outside scouts noted a player whose shorter arms give him a better chance to more quickly close holes in the zone, as well as someone who looked calm in the box. He's an explosive runner who has a chance to stick in center field.
  
  THE FUTURE: Though he wasn't at the alternate training site, Salinas did get a taste of in-person instruction at the Yankees' Dominican Republic instructional league in December. He's got a lot of catching up to do, but there's still a ceiling waiting to be achieved.
• March, 2021 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: When Shohei Ohtani declined the Yankees' offer in 2017, the team turned their attention and remaining slot money to a pair of promising Latin outfielders: Antonio Cabello and Salinas. His 2018 season was limited to 11 games by injuries to his knee and ring finger, which led to him repeating the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League in 2019.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: In 2019, the Yankees worked with Salinas to find a swing that got to the strike zone quicker and stayed there longer. As with many players at that level, they also worked with him to refine his command of the strike zone and get him to unleash on pitches he could drive. Outside scouts noted a player whose shorter arms give him a better chance to more quickly close holes in the zone, as well as someone who looked calm in the box. He's an explosive runner who has a chance to stick in center field.
  
  THE FUTURE: Though he wasn't at the alternate training site, Salinas did get a taste of in-person instruction at the Yankees' Dominican Republic instructional league in December. He's got a lot of catching up to do, but there's still a ceiling waiting to be achieved.
• December, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: When Shohei Ohtani declined the Yankees' offer in 2017, the team turned their attention and remaining slot money to a pair of promising Latin outfielders: Antonio Cabello and Salinas. His 2018 season was limited to 11 games by injuries to his knee and ring finger, which led to him repeating the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League in 2019.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: In 2019, the Yankees worked with Salinas to find a swing that got to the strike zone quicker and stayed there longer. As with many players at that level, they also worked with him to refine his command of the strike zone and get him to unleash on pitches he could drive. Outside scouts noted a player whose shorter arms give him a better chance to more quickly close holes in the zone, as well as someone who looked calm in the box. He's an explosive runner who has a chance to stick in center field.
  
  THE FUTURE: Though he wasn't at the alternate training site, Salinas did get a taste of in-person instruction at the Yankees' Dominican Republic instructional league in December. He's got a lot of catching up to do, but there's still a ceiling waiting to be achieved.
• July, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: When Shohei Ohtani chose the Angels in 2017, the Yankees took the international slot money they’d accumulated and shifted it to Salinas and fellow outfielder Antonio Cabello. Salinas’ 2018 season was truncated because of injuries to his knee and ring finger, so 2019 stood for all intents and purposes as his first extended test as a pro.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Beyond what showed up on the field, Salinas’ biggest strides in 2019 came behind the scenes. The Yankees worked with him to find a more consistent swing that kept the bat in the zone for a longer period of time. They also worked with him to sharpen his approach and keep him from chasing as many pitches out of the zone. Scouts outside the organization saw a player with plus bat speed, explosive footspeed and a chance to stick in center field. They also noted that his shorter arms could help him get the barrel to high-velocity fastballs sooner.
  
  THE FUTURE: Salinas still has plenty of refinement to go, but his ceiling is still very high.
• February, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: When Shohei Ohtani chose the Angels in 2017, the Yankees took the international slot money they'd accumulated and shifted it to Salinas and fellow outfielder Antonio Cabello. Salinas' 2018 season was truncated because of injuries to his knee and ring finger, so 2019 stood for all intents and purposes as his first extended test as a pro.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Beyond what showed up on the field, Salinas' biggest strides in 2019 came behind the scenes. The Yankees worked with him to find a more consistent swing that kept the bat in the zone for a longer period of time. They also worked with him to sharpen his approach and keep him from chasing as many pitches out of the zone. Scouts outside the organization saw a player with plus bat speed, explosive footspeed and a chance to stick in center field. They also noted that his shorter arms could help him get the barrel to high-velocity fastballs sooner.
  
  THE FUTURE: Salinas still has plenty of refinement to go, but his ceiling is still very high.
• December, 2018 Scouting Report
  Salinas received the biggest bonus the Yankees gave an international player in the 2017-18 signing period when he inked a $1.85 million deal in December 2017. He showed a mix of solid performance and strong tools this year in the GCL. He has a lean, athletic frame and projects to stick in center field, where he's a plus runner with an easy gait who moves around well in the outfield. He takes good routes and has an above-average arm as well. At the plate, Salinas has good bat speed, makes hard contact when he connects and should have at least average raw power. He has a sound swing and uses the whole field, but his pitch recognition skills need to improve and he's prone to expanding the strike zone, which leads to a higher swing-and-miss rate.