Calten Daal

Organization Prospect Rankings

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  Ranked Cincinnati Reds #23 prospect in 2016
  An island of just 150,000 people, Curacao currently boasts three big league middle infielders: Didi Gregorius, Jonathan Schoop and Andrelton Simmons (with the Rangers' Jurickson Profar on deck). Daal works out with Gregorius in the offseason and hopes to follow in his footsteps. He took a big step in that direction at high Class A Daytona as he became a much more reliable fielder. Daal has gotten significantly stronger since signing, but he still has bottom-of-the-scale power--no qualified full-season minor league batter hit fewer extra-base hits (six) in 2015. Daal's swing is wisely geared to contact. He sprays the ball around the field with an emphasis on hitting to the opposite field. Daal played second base early in the season in deference to 2014 first-rounder Alex Blandino, but he's a better defensive shortstop than Blandino with a tick above-average range, an above-average arm and shortstop actions. The time at the keystone seemed to help him slow down and play more under control when he moved back to short. He's also a tick above-average runner. Daal's bat might limit him to a utility-infield role, but he's made enough improvement to leave open the possibility for more as he heads to Double-A Pensacola in 2016.