Alexi Ogando Stats & Scouting Report

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Ogando represents another toolsy, high-upside player from the A's renewed focus in Latin America, which they see as another source of low-cost talent. While his numbers declined as he repeated the Arizona League, club officials were excited about the progress he made in his all-around game. More than one refers to him as "the kind of player you can dream about." With a skinny 6-foot-5 frame, he physically resembles a young Vladimir Guerrero. While Oakland wants him to fill out his frame, Ogando already displays plus power to all fields and can unleash tape-measure shots when he gets his arms extended. He runs well and his arm is the strongest in the system, rating close to an 80 on the 20-80 scouting scale. Ogando's approach at the plate is still raw, leading to too many swings and misses, though he was making progress in instructional league. He shortened his stride to quicken his bat, and also improved at recognizing breaking balls. With Javier Herrera and Ogando, Kane County should have one of the most exciting outfields in the Midwest League this year.

Most Arizona League managers preferred Ogando over outfield mate Javi Herrera as a prospect last year. While Herrera moved up this year and became the No. 1 prospect in the Northwest League, Ogando returned to the AZL after getting limited playing time there. Ogando stayed back on breaking balls better while laying off pitches out of the strike zone this year. But he still swung and missed too much, striking out 57 times in 180 at-bats, and his average dropped from .342 a year ago to .267. His best tools are his power to all fields, which is already major league average and projects to get better, and his right-field arm.
A product of the Athletics' Dominican program, Ogando looks like a basketball player in a baseball uniform. He has room to add 20 pounds to his lanky 6-foot-3, 185-pound frame. He also has a lot of room for improvement, even though he showed the best right-field arm in the league, ran 60 yards in 6.5 seconds and finished tied for second in the league in homers. He hit .342 despite being a free swinger and lacking strike-zone judgment. "He's a little crude still," Royals 2 manager Kevin Boles said, "but he's got all the tools. There's a lot of upside there."