Joey Curletta Stats & Scouting Report

AB	2942
AVG	.257
OBP	.338
SLG	.417
HR	92

Full name Joseph Dominic Curletta
Born 03/08/1994 in Phoenix, AZ
Profile Ht.: 6'4" / Wt.: 245 / Bats: R / Throws: R
School Mountain Pointe
Drafted in the 6th round (206th overall) by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2012 (signed for $171,600).

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Curletta is a physical monster at 6-foot-4 and 230 pounds. He shows light-tower power from the right side of the plate, but scouts wonder how much he'll actually hit because his swing can be a little stiff and he struggles at times with pitch recognition. He's a 20 runner on the 20-80 scouting scale and will be limited defensively to first base. He has a small scholarship to Arizona and the Wildcats recruited him as a hitter. Curletta wants to hit, but he's also shown some intriguing arm strength (92-94 mph) and could wind up on the mound.

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

Track Record: Curletta was known for his impressive plus raw power but not much else during the first six years of his pro career--five of which were spent with the Dodgers before being traded to the Phillies and then the Mariners in March 2017. Something clicked for Curletta at Double-A Arkansas in 2018, when led the Texas League in both OPS (.865) and walks (81). The improved approach resulted in Curletta being named Texas League MVP and the Mariners' minor league hitter of the year. It also earned him a 40-man roster spot in the offseason. Otherwise he would have been a minor league free agent.

Scouting Report: Curletta got his body in better shape, became a smarter hitter and improved his two-strike approach in 2018. He used a quieter setup at the plate and got more loft in his swing, allowing him to hit home runs on more than just mistake pitches. Curletta has easy plus-plus raw power from the right side. His strikeout rate didn't improve much from 2017, but he increased his walk rate from 11.7 percent in high Class A to 14.6 percent in Double-A. An outfielder through the early part of his career with a strong arm that made switching to the mound a possibility, Curletta has strictly played first base the last two years. He's a below-average defender at first base and a below-average runner, but he has recently made strides by getting his body in better condition.

The Future: Curletta draws some comparisons with fellow Mariners' prospect Dan Vogelbach as a bat-first player. Curletta's likely assignment will be Triple-A Tacoma.
Curletta mashed 21 homers as a junior at Mountain Pointe High in Phoenix in 2011 before his production dropped off to just four homers in his draft year, but the Dodgers still believed enough in his tools to sign him away from an Arizona commitment for $171,600 in the sixth round. Despite his home run dropoff, Curletta has a chance for two well above-average tools in his raw power and throwing arm, which also made him a prospect on the mound. He garners physical comparisons to the Angels' Mark Trumbo and has similar raw power. He'll need to tweak his swing to show it in games, though. He needs a better bat path, as he tends to collapse and try too much to hook and lift balls. Scouts who watched Curletta in high school felt he would be limited to first base, but Los Angeles believes he runs well enough to try in the outfield and doesn't want to waste his arm at first base, either. He was capable of throwing 94 mph in high school but prefers hitting. The Dodgers will give him a chance to make it as a hitter but would put him on the mound if he doesn't make progress within a few years. He'll likely stay in extended spring training in 2013 before heading to Ogden.

Draft Prospects

Curletta is a physical monster at 6-foot-4 and 230 pounds. He shows light-tower power from the right side of the plate, but scouts wonder how much he'll actually hit because his swing can be a little stiff and he struggles at times with pitch recognition. He's a 20 runner on the 20-80 scouting scale and will be limited defensively to first base. He has a small scholarship to Arizona and the Wildcats recruited him as a hitter. Curletta wants to hit, but he's also shown some intriguing arm strength (92-94 mph) and could wind up on the mound.