Yeiner Fernandez

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Los Angeles Dodgers #21 prospect in 2024
  BA Grade: 45/High
  
  Track Record: Fernandez played for Venezuela in the 2015 Little League World Series and hit two home runs in four games at Williamsport. He remained a top hitter through his teenage years and signed with the Dodgers for $717,500. Fernandez has continued to hit as a pro, but he has yet to find a position. He hit .274/.360/.375 with nearly as many walks (47) as strikeouts (56) at High-A Great Lakes in 2023, but was primarily a DH by season’s end.
  
  Scouting Report: Previously a short, pudgy righthanded hitter, Fernandez grew taller and thinned out to improve his athleticism and explosiveness. He’s an aggressive hitter with elite hand-eye coordination and barrel control that allows him to consistently put the ball in play. Fernandez doesn’t always swing at the best pitches to hit and overwhelmingly hits the ball on the ground, but his pure contact skills give him a chance to be an average hitter if he refines his approach. He mostly makes soft contact and doesn’t have much room to add strength to his frame. Fernandez has decent hands at catcher, but he lacks subtlety in his framing and blocking, and is a below-average defender. He is adequate at second base with above-average arm strength and has begun seeing time at third base, first base and shortstop.
  
  The Future: Fernandez’s contact skills give him a chance to be a utilityman if he improves his defense. He’ll head to Double-A in 2024.
  
  Scouting Grades Hit: 50 | Power: 30 | Run: 50 | Field: 40 | Arm: 55
• 
  Ranked Los Angeles Dodgers #24 prospect in 2023
  BA Grade/Risk: 45/High
  
  Track Record: Fernandez played for Venezuela in the 2015 Little League World Series and hit a game-winning, three-run homer against Australia in the tournament opener. He signed with the Dodgers for $717,5000 in 2019 and quickly stood out as one of the top pure hitters in the system. Fernandez struggled early at Low-A Rancho Cucamonga in 2022 with inconsistent playing time as Diego Cartaya's backup, but he flourished after Cartaya was promoted to High-A. Fernandez hit .322/.422/.502 after becoming the starting catcher in June and had two separate hitting streaks of at least 10 games.
  
  Scouting Report: Fernandez is a short, stocky hitter who uses his frame to his advantage. He has a small strike zone for pitchers to attack and uses his short arms to make quick, direct contact with pitches over the plate. He has elite hand-eye coordination and barrel control and sprays the ball all over the field. Fernandez doesn't hit the ball overly hard because his bat speed is just average and he's not particularly strong, but he should add muscle and make harder contact as he matures. Fernandez is a good athlete with soft hands and above-average arm strength at second base, but he recently converted to catching and hasn't translated those attributes behind the plate. He allowed 100 wild pitches and 15 passed balls in only 62 games behind the plate and allowed a minor-league worst 131 stolen bases in 158 attempts. He's a bottom of the scale defensive catcher who needs years to become playable.
  
  The Future: Opposing teams frequently request Fernandez in trades because of his contact skills, but he needs to get stronger and improve defensively. He'll head to High-A in 2023.
  
  Scouting Grades: Hit: 50. Power: 30. Speed: 45. Fielding: 30. Arm: 55.
• 
  Ranked Los Angeles Dodgers #18 prospect in 2022
  Track Record: Fernandez played for Venezuela in the 2015 Little League World Series and built a long track record of hitting to become one of the top catchers in his class. The Dodgers signed him for $717,500 and sent him to the Arizona Complex League for his pro debut in 2021, where he hit .319/.382/.454 and received a late promotion to Low-A Rancho Cucamonga.
  
  Scouting Report: Fernandez hardly cuts an imposing figure with his short, stocky build, but has elite hand-eye coordination and barrel control and sprays line drives all over the field. He handles upper-90s velocity and has sneaky power that could become average once he starts to pull the ball. He is aggressive and doesn’t walk much, but he recognizes pitches and rarely swings and misses. Fernandez was a second baseman who converted to catching and is still learning to play the position. He’s a good athlete with soft hands and is making progress with his blocking, throwing and game-calling. He has a chance to be an average defender with a plus, accurate arm, but that requires a lot of projection.
  
  The Future: Fernandez’s bat will buy him time to develop his defense. He is playable enough at second base to be a catcher/infielder utilityman.
  

• February, 2023 Scouting Report
  BA Grade/Risk: 45/High
  
  Track Record: Fernandez played for Venezuela in the 2015 Little League World Series and hit a game-winning, three-run homer against Australia in the tournament opener. He signed with the Dodgers for $717,5000 in 2019 and quickly stood out as one of the top pure hitters in the system. Fernandez struggled early at Low-A Rancho Cucamonga in 2022 with inconsistent playing time as Diego Cartaya's backup, but he flourished after Cartaya was promoted to High-A. Fernandez hit .322/.422/.502 after becoming the starting catcher in June and had two separate hitting streaks of at least 10 games.
  
  Scouting Report: Fernandez is a short, stocky hitter who uses his frame to his advantage. He has a small strike zone for pitchers to attack and uses his short arms to make quick, direct contact with pitches over the plate. He has elite hand-eye coordination and barrel control and sprays the ball all over the field. Fernandez doesn't hit the ball overly hard because his bat speed is just average and he's not particularly strong, but he should add muscle and make harder contact as he matures. Fernandez is a good athlete with soft hands and above-average arm strength at second base, but he recently converted to catching and hasn't translated those attributes behind the plate. He allowed 100 wild pitches and 15 passed balls in only 62 games behind the plate and allowed a minor-league worst 131 stolen bases in 158 attempts. He's a bottom of the scale defensive catcher who needs years to become playable.
  
  The Future: Opposing teams frequently request Fernandez in trades because of his contact skills, but he needs to get stronger and improve defensively. He'll head to High-A in 2023.
  
  Scouting Grades: Hit: 50. Power: 30. Speed: 45. Fielding: 30. Arm: 55.
• December, 2022 Scouting Report
  BA Grade/Risk: 45/High
  
  Track Record: Fernandez played for Venezuela in the 2015 Little League World Series and hit a game-winning, three-run homer against Australia in the tournament opener. He signed with the Dodgers for $717,5000 in 2019 and quickly stood out as one of the top pure hitters in the system. Fernandez struggled early at Low-A Rancho Cucamonga in 2022 with inconsistent playing time as Diego Cartaya's backup, but he flourished after Cartaya was promoted to High-A. Fernandez hit .322/.422/.502 after becoming the starting catcher in June and had two separate hitting streaks of at least 10 games.
  
  Scouting Report: Fernandez is a short, stocky hitter who uses his frame to his advantage. He has a small strike zone for pitchers to attack and uses his short arms to make quick, direct contact with pitches over the plate. He has elite hand-eye coordination and barrel control and sprays the ball all over the field. Fernandez doesn't hit the ball overly hard because his bat speed is just average and he's not particularly strong, but he should add muscle and make harder contact as he matures. Fernandez is a good athlete with soft hands and above-average arm strength at second base, but he recently converted to catching and hasn't translated those attributes behind the plate. He allowed 100 wild pitches and 15 passed balls in only 62 games behind the plate and allowed a minor-league worst 131 stolen bases in 158 attempts. He's a bottom of the scale defensive catcher who needs years to become playable.
  
  The Future: Opposing teams frequently request Fernandez in trades because of his contact skills, but he needs to get stronger and improve defensively. He'll head to High-A in 2023.
  
  Scouting Grades: Hit: 50. Power: 30. Speed: 45. Fielding: 30. Arm: 55.
• April, 2022 Scouting Report
  BA Grade: 40/High
  
  Track Record: Fernandez played for Venezuela in the 2015 Little League World Series and built a long track record of hitting to become one of the top catchers in his class. The Dodgers signed him for $717,500 and sent him to the Arizona Complex League for his pro debut in 2021, where he hit .319/.382/.454 and received a late promotion to Low-A Rancho Cucamonga.
  
  Scouting Report: Fernandez hardly cuts an imposing figure with his short, stocky build, but has elite hand-eye coordination and barrel control and sprays line drives all over the field. He handles upper-90s velocity and has sneaky power that could become average once he starts to pull the ball. He is aggressive and doesn&#39t walk much, but he recognizes pitches and rarely swings and misses. Fernandez was a second baseman who converted to catching and is still learning to play the position. He&#39s a good athlete with soft hands and is making progress with his blocking, throwing and game-calling. He has a chance to be an average defender with a plus, accurate arm, but that requires a lot of projection.
  
  The Future: Fernandez&#39s bat will buy him time to develop his defense. He is playable enough at second base to be a catcher/infielder utilityman.
• December, 2021 Scouting Report
  Track Record: Fernandez played for Venezuela in the 2015 Little League World Series and built a long track record of hitting to become one of the top catchers in his class. The Dodgers signed him for $717,500 and sent him to the Arizona Complex League for his pro debut in 2021, where he hit .319/.382/.454 and received a late promotion to Low-A Rancho Cucamonga.
  
  Scouting Report: Fernandez hardly cuts an imposing figure with his short, stocky build, but has elite hand-eye coordination and barrel control and sprays line drives all over the field. He handles upper-90s velocity and has sneaky power that could become average once he starts to pull the ball. He is aggressive and doesn’t walk much, but he recognizes pitches and rarely swings and misses. Fernandez was a second baseman who converted to catching and is still learning to play the position. He’s a good athlete with soft hands and is making progress with his blocking, throwing and game-calling. He has a chance to be an average defender with a plus, accurate arm, but that requires a lot of projection.
  
  The Future: Fernandez’s bat will buy him time to develop his defense. He is playable enough at second base to be a catcher/infielder utilityman.