Albert Almora

Organization Prospect Rankings

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  Ranked Chicago Cubs #3 prospect in 2017
  The sixth overall pick in the 2012 draft, Almora has starred for numerous U.S. national teams as an amateur and professional. He had his best pro season in 2016 when he stayed healthy, playing a career-high 127 games, and he earned his first big league callup in June. Almora made the Cubs postseason roster and, while he went 0-for-10 at the plate, he scored the go-ahead run in Game Seven of the World Series, pinch-running for Kyle Schwarber and alertly tagging up from first base on a Kris Bryant fly ball deep to center field. Scouts long have loved Almora's baseball instincts, evident on the tag-up play, and his defense. While he is a below-average runner out of the batter's box, he is a smart baserunner and has exceptional range in center field thanks to his ability to read hitters' swings, position himself and get tremendous jumps. He's a potential Gold Glove winner in center and has a plus arm that plays in any spot. Almora had his best offensive season in 2016 because he used the whole field and got away from his pull-oriented approach. His over-aggressiveness at the plate tends to short-circuit his solid-average power and may limit his offensive ceiling. With Dexter Fowler leaving Chicago, center field is up for grabs. Almora figures to contend with free agent import Jon Jay and holdover Jason Heyward for the everyday job in 2017, but should at least earn at-bats as a fourth outfielder.
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  Ranked Chicago Cubs #6 prospect in 2016
  Almora played for six USA Baseball amateur teams from 2007-11 before the Cubs drafted him sixth overall in 2012, passing on the likes of Michael Wacha and Marcus Stroman while signing Almora for $3.9 million. He interrupted his season at Double-A Tennessee with another stint for Team USA, this time in the Pan American Games in Toronto, where he helped the Americans win a silver medal. In terms of tools, Almora is who he is--a contact-oriented hitter with strong forearms and wrists who has a knack for making contact and avoiding strikeouts. He has improved his selectivity but still doesn't get to his raw power as consistently as scouts would like, and he's an average runner who doesn't walk or steal enough bases to be a leadoff hitter. His bat control and bat speed help him catch up to good velocity. He remains a special defender in center fielder with premium anticipation, instincts and ball-hawking ability, as well as a strong, accurate arm. A grinder with great makeup who is regarded as an excellent teammate, Almora came on strong after his Team USA stint, hitting .302 after his return. He profiles as an everyday center fielder in the Aaron Rowand mold, and with Dexter Fowler a free agent, center field is actually a lineup spot that may be available in Chicago in the short-term.
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  Ranked Chicago Cubs #7 prospect in 2015
  Almora signed for $3.9 million as the sixth overall pick in 2012. Injuries interrupted his first pro season, and he reached Double-A Tennessee in 2014 but has yet to thrive He has yet to thrive, however, hitting into 21 double plays and searching for consistency. Almora has first-round tools, starting with a line-drive bat with present strength, fine hand-eye coordination, bat speed to catch up to good fastballs and average raw power. He makes contact so easily, he gets himself out often swinging at pitcher's pitches. He was pitched backwards much of the season and struggled to adjust. He still employs a big leg kick and can get streaky, as evidenced by a .377/.395/.649 finishing kick with high Class A Daytona before his promotion. A bit more patience would go a long way to making Almora a big league regular considering his defense, which remains advanced. He reads hitters' swings, has excellent range despite fringe-average speed and owns an accurate, strong arm. His bilingual skills come in handy in the clubhouse, and his makeup and work ethic remain strong positives. The Cubs don't need Almora to be a star--just a grinder who can hit and play plus defense at a premium position. Those goals are attainable if he becomes more flexible in his hitting approach. He's headed back to Double-A to begin 2015 but now has Arismendy Alcantara ahead of him as Chicago's incumbent center fielder.
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  Ranked Chicago Cubs #4 prospect in 2014
  USA Baseball turned to Almora frequently during his amateur career. He tied A.J. Hinch's record by playing on six national teams, though Hinch had the advantage of a four-year college career. The sixth overall pick in the 2012 draft signed for a $3.9 million bonus. His first full season was delayed until late May by a broken hamate in his left hand and ended in early August due to a groin pull. Almora has good tools and maximizes them with tremendous baseball instincts. His best tool is his bat, which scouts project as above-average or better. He has a loose swing, present strength and good hand-eye coordination. He uses the whole field, using what one club official calls a "no-ego approach" at the plate. Almora employs a leg kick and has to be on time but has good natural hitting rhythm, and had 24 multi-hit games in 61 Midwest League starts. He projects to have average or better home run power. Almora is just an average runner, if not a tick below, but he has premium range in center field thanks to his impeccable breaks on the ball, first-step reactions and passion for playing defense. He has a plus, accurate arm as well. A natural leader, the bilingual Almora bridges the cultural gap for Cubs farmhands from Jorge Soler to Kris Bryant. Almora has taken system-mate Jorge Soler under his wing, and they played together in the Arizona Fall League to make up for time lost to injuries. A healthy Almora should move quickly and settle in as a talented glue guy in a lineup with plenty of explosive bats such as Javier Baez, Bryant and Soler.
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  Ranked Chicago Cubs #2 prospect in 2013
  Scouts say Almora has more polish and better makeup than any high schooler in recent memory. His tools are solid or better across the board too, so the Cubs selected him sixth overall in June and signed him for $3.9 million. It was no surprise that he was able to make an easy transition to pro ball, hitting .321/.331/.464 at the two lowest levels of the system. Thanks to his bat speed, loose swing and hand-eye coordination, Almora makes line-drive contact with ease. He has natural hitting rhythm and pitch-recognition skills beyond his years. He will need to develop more patience, however, after walking just twice in 145 pro plate appearances. He's not the most physical player, but he has the hitting acumen and projection to grow into annual 20-homer power. As gifted as he is offensively, scouts rave even more about Almora's defense. He has incredible instincts, allowing his average speed to play up a grade on the bases and well above that in center field. He gets outstanding jumps and takes precise routes. He also has a strong, accurate arm. A quality teammate, he has helped Cuban defector Jorge Soler with his English. Almora profiles as a Gold Glove center fielder who could hit third in the batting order. He'll be part of a very talented lineup at Chicago's new low Class A Kane County affiliate in 2013, and he might only need two years in the minors.

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #7 prospect in 2012 draft
  Almora is a latter-day A.J. Hinch in that he has become a go-to player for USA Baseball national teams from a young age. Almora was USA Baseball's 2011 athlete of the year after being MVP of the 18-and-under Pan American Championships in Colombia in November 2011. He tied Hinch's USA Baseball record by playing on his sixth national team, and scouts love his grinder approach and in-game savvy. What's more, Almora has outstanding tools. The Miami signee, in one scout's words, "has no issues. He's got above-average tools everywhere, and they all play. He has tools and he uses them." He doesn't turn in blazing times when he runs in showcases (generally he's a 6.8-second runner in the 60), but his game instincts help him steal bases and cover plenty of ground in center field. Scouts consider his defense major league-ready right now, with plus grades for his accurate throwing arm. With natural hitting rhythm and plenty of bat speed, Almora is a line-drive machine with a loose swing who stays inside the ball, relishes velocity and handles spin. He should have 20-homer power down the line, sufficient if he slows down and can't play center, and a definite bonus if (as expected) he stays in the middle garden. He plays the game with both ease and energy and may have some projection left in his athletic 6-foot-1, 175-pound frame. The Miami signee is considered one of the draft's safer picks and could sneak into the first 10 selections.

Minor League Top Prospects

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  Ranked Pacific Coast League #12 prospect in 2016
  The sixth overall pick in the 2012 draft, the first conducted by Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein, Almora reached Iowa in 2016 for his first taste of Triple-A ball. His potential as a future Gold Glove-caliber center fielder highlights his skill set, but he also hit .303 in 80 PCL games. "(He has) front-line center field ability with plus-plus defense," Iowa manager Marty Pevy said. "At the crack of the bat you look and he's already moving. He reminds me a lot of Vernon Wells, with his route and first-step quickness, arm strength and accuracy." Almora's offensive skill set still is developing. With exceptional hand-eye coordination and proven contact ability, he could develop into a top-of-the-order batter who can hit for average. He hasn't shown an inkling to draw walks, and though he has raw power, it doesn't play in games because of his impatience. Almora isn't a burner, but he has above-average speed underway and is still learning to apply it to the bases, working with the Iowa coaching staff on reading pitchers, accelerating his head-first slide and understanding opportunities to swipe a base.
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  Ranked Southern League #19 prospect in 2015
  While Cubs first-rounders Javier Baez (2011 draft), Kris Bryant (2013) and Kyle Schwarber (2014) have put in half-seasons at Tennessee on their rapid rise to Chicago, Almora, the sixth overall pick in 2012, has progressed at a slower pace. He reached the SL late in the 2014 season and improved his year-over-year production in 2015, particularly in the second half when he hit .301/.370/.464 with 23 extra-base hits and 19 walks in 51 games. A premium defensive center fielder, Almora recorded more putouts per game (2.4) than any SL outfielder but Byron Buxton, Max Kepler or Mallex Smith. He tends to play shallow because he ranges back on the ball so well, and scouts think highly of his lateral range and overall defensive instincts. Though he does not possess blazing speed or more than gap power, Almora is a smart baserunner who will profile as a top-of-the-order hitter if he can improve his on-base percentage and possibly steal a few more bases. Almora makes a ton of contact--just two players who qualified for this ranking struck out less often--so the Cubs have stressed that a more patient approach would benefit him by allowing him to see more hitter's counts and draw more free passes. On that note, Almora walked in a career-high 7 percent of plate appearances in 2015. Scouts love his competitive makeup and his ability to focus in big spots, but some don't see a plus tool outside of his glove, viewing him as more of an outfield extra.
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  Ranked Southern League #18 prospect in 2014
  Almora joined fellow precocious 2012 high school draftees Addison Russell and Corey Seager in the SL at the end of July. While he did the least to stand out in the context of the league, batting .234 with two homers and no steals in 36 games at Tennessee, Almora's skills always have been subtle. If Almora reaches his ceiling, he'll be a high-average, top-of-the-order hitter and a Gold Glove-caliber defender in center field. He receives unanimously positive reviews for his plus range and fielding ability even though he rates as no better than a solid-average runner. As such, stolen bases won't be a big part of his game. Almora got beat with good fastballs in the SL, according to one scout, and he struggled with timing issues relating to his big leg kick at various points all season, even in the first half at high Class A Daytona. While he walks only once every two weeks on average, Almora does a good job spraying the ball around and projects as an above-average hitter for some scouts. For others, his bat fits best as an extra outfielder.
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  Ranked Florida State League #11 prospect in 2014
  Almora overcame a slow start by hitting .377 with four of his seven home runs in the first three weeks of July, earning a promotion to Double-A Tennessee. His raw tools sometimes pale in comparison to some of his Cubs peers, but FSL managers still liked him as a center fielder who profiles as a future everyday player, though not a star. Almora is a rhythm hitter with a significant leg kick who tends to be streaky. "You get your timing by being ready to hit the fastball," Daytona manager Dave Keller said. "We talk every day about hitting the fastball, and it was hard for him because pitchers were pitching him backwards, but he still had to be ready to hit the fastball." Almora started identifying offspeed pitches, which he saw in bunches, better as the year went on. The ability to make those adjustments, along with his bat speed, hand-eye coordination and strength, allow scouts to project him as an above-average hitter with average power. He has plenty of arm strength and tremendous defensive instincts that make him a plus center fielder as well. One scout said Almora's upside resembles that of Aaron Rowand.
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  Ranked Midwest League #6 prospect in 2013
  Unlike most of the other players in the top 10, Almora doesn?t have overwhelming tools. But the sum of his parts adds up to one of the safer prospects in low Class A. He turns in above-average but unspectacular running times, but he plays like a plus-plus runner. His excellent jumps in center field allow him to cover plenty of ground, and his plus arm helped him throw out seven baserunners in just 59 games. At the plate, Almora projects as a potential .300 hitter with 15-20 home runs. His feel for hitting is extremely advanced for his age. His biggest problem in 2013 was staying healthy. He missed the first month with a hamate injury and was shut down in early August because of a groin problem.
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  Ranked Arizona Complex League #2 prospect in 2012
  Like Russell, Almora is a Florida high school product who went in the first round in June, signing for $3.9 million as the No. 6 overall pick. His reputation as an extreme hard worker was evident from the first day he arrived at the Cubs complex in Arizona, as he required frequent reminders from the staff to pace himself in the extreme summer heat. He drew raves for his off-the-charts makeup. "He's humble, he's willing to learn and listen," Cubs manager Bobby Mitchell said. "You don't always get that on players picked that high." Almora has the tools to match his outstanding character. With his loose swing and solid speed, he projects to hit for a high average, and he has the bat speed and raw power to hit 20 homers annually once he gets stronger. The stands out in center field with his tremendous instincts, jumps and routes, and he also has an above-average arm that combines strength and accuracy.

Top 100 Rankings

• Ranked Baseball America's #64 prospect in 2017
• Ranked Baseball America's #36 prospect in 2014
• Ranked Baseball America's #33 prospect in 2013

• December, 2016 Scouting Report
  Background: The sixth overall pick in the 2012 draft, Almora has starred for numerous U.S. national teams as an amateur and professional. He had his best pro season in 2016 when he stayed healthy (he played a career-high 127 games) and earned his first big league callup in June. He made the Cubs' postseason roster, and while he went 0-for-10 at the plate, he scored the go-ahead run in Game Seven of the World Series. Scouting Report: Scouts long have loved Almora's baseball instincts and his defense. While he's a below-average runner out of the batter's box, he's a smart baserunner and has 70 range in center field on the 20-80 scouting scale thanks to his ability to read hitters' swings, position himself and get tremendous jumps. He's a potential Gold Glover in center field with a plus arm that plays in any spot. Almora had his best offensive season in 2016 because he used the whole field and got away from his pull-oriented approach. His over-aggressiveness at the plate tends to short-circuit his solid-average power.
  
  The Future: With Dexter Fowler leaving Chicago, center field is up for grabs. Almora figures to contend with free agent import Jon Jay and holdover Jason Heyward for the everyday job in 2017 but should at least earn at-bats as a fourth outfielder.
• December, 2012 Scouting Report
  Background: Scouts say Almora has more polish and better makeup than any high schooler in recent memory. His tools are solid or better across the board too, so the Cubs selected him sixth overall in June and signed him for $3.9 million. It was no surprise that he made an easy transition to pro ball, hitting .321/.331/.464 at two short-season stops. Scouting Report: Thanks to his bat speed, loose swing and hand-eye coordination, Almora makes line-drive contact with ease. He has natural hitting rhythm and pitch-recognition skills. He will need more patience after walking just twice in 145 pro plate appearances. He's not the most physical player, but he has the hitting acumen and projection to grow into 20-homer power. Almora's defense is exceptional. He has incredible instincts, allowing his average speed to play up on the bases and in center field. He gets outstanding jumps and takes precise routes. He also has a strong, accurate arm. A quality teammate, he has helped Jorge Soler with his English. The Future: Almora profiles as a Gold Glove center fielder who could hit third in the batting order. He'll be at Chicago's new low Class A Kane County affiliate in 2013, and he might need just two years in the minors.