Marten Gasparini
| AB | 1388 |
|---|---|
| AVG | .22 |
| OBP | .276 |
| SLG | .332 |
| HR | 23 |
- Full name Marten Gasparini
- Born 05/24/1997 in Ruda, Italy
- Profile Ht.: 6'0" / Wt.: 165 / Bats: L / Throws: R
Top Rankings
Organization Prospect Rankings
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Signed for a European-record $1.3 million in 2013, Gasparini's development path has been understandably rocky. A native Italian, he still is trying to catch up to the speed of the game and owns a career .219 average through three pro seasons. Gasparini's 2016 effort at low Class A Lexington was particularly disappointing. His pitch recognition and plate approach are so raw that he looks fastball regardless of count. Therefore, he tends to pull off even ordinary breaking balls and changeups. A switch-hitter, Gasparini has plenty of bat speed and the raw ingredients to hit for average. He shows gap power now that projects to potentially average power. Working with Lexington coach Glenn Hubbard, Gasparini showed improvements defensively but still a lot work to do. His internal clock at shortstop still needs fine-tuning and his throwing motion is longer than scouts would like to see. He stabs with his arm action as he pulls the ball from his glove, creating a slower-than-desired release, not to mention accuracy issues. Gasparini has above-average arm strength, is a plus runner and is twitchy enough to cover enough ground at shortstop, but there are concerns about his hands. He committed 48 errors in 2016, including 31 fielding miscues, which led to a putrid .885 fielding percentage and speculation as to whether he his speed would play in center field. Gasparini is slated to return to Lexington in 2017. -
Gasparini has stood out since age 13 and has a chance to develop into the best player born and raised in Italy. He signed for a European-record $1.3 million signing bonus. His pro debut was slowed by a hamstring injury and he started slow in 2015, but he hit .357/.448/.529 with a vastly improved strikeout rate in the second half with Rookie-level Idaho Falls. Gasparini has a number of exceptional tools that started to play in 2015. He's a plus runner with a plus arm and he's starting to tap into potentially average power. There are more questions about whether he will stick at shortstop long-term. He made 35 errors in just 52 games at shortstops and his .871 fielding percentage the worst in the Pioneer League. Gasparini's speed and arm would play well in center field if he can't clean up his defensive issues, but considering his youth and relative inexperience the Royals will work to better his defense. The switch-hitting Gasparini shows similar aptitude from either batter's box. His inexperience shows when recognizing breaking balls, but he has gap power now that should develop into 10-15 home run power. Gasparini is offensively ready for an assignment to low Class A Lexington, which means his glove will have to hurry to catch up. For all-around tools he's second only to Raul Mondesi in the system. -
Gasparini received the highest bonus ever for a European amateur at $1.3 million. Gasparini's pro debut was nearly wiped out by a hamstring injury that cost him a month and limited him even before that. In limited action at Rookie-level Burlington, he showed a plus arm and the actions and range to stay at shortstop, though his reliability is lacking, for he made 15 errors in 22 games, 11 of them fielding miscues. Before the hamstring problem, Gasparini showed above-average speed. At the plate, he is understandably raw. The switch-hitter's lefthanded swing is more powerful and more consistent than his righthanded stroke, which gets too long. Gasparini will return to Burlington in 2015. He has the highest ceiling of any Royals' shortstop other than Raul A. Mondesi, but he's likely five or six years away. -
Gasparini signed the richest contract ever for a European amateur when he inked his $1.3 million deal with the Royals in July 2013. That's understandable seeing as scouts regarded him as arguably the finest amateur prospect ever from Europe. His bonus easily topped the Twins' 2009 deal with German outfielder Max Kepler for $800,000. Gasparini moved 300 miles to train at the Italian Baseball Academy as a 14-year-old, which means he's more advanced than the average European prospect, and his knowledge of the English language helps ease his cultural transition. But he still has faced less advanced competition than the average U.S. or Latin American prospect. Gasparini is an excellent athlete with easy actions and speed that grades as a 65 on the 20-80 scouting scale. His arm is a tick-below-average with an unconventional action that leads many scouts to think he'll move to center field eventually. At the plate, Gasparini has plenty of bat speed and a reasonably smooth swing from both sides of the plate. He projects as a top-of-the-order hitter with below-average power for now, but he's young enough to exceed that power projection if he fills out. For now, Gasparini will continue to work out at the Royals complex with an eye on his first pro action in the second half of 2014.
Minor League Top Prospects
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The Royals set a record for the top bonus ever given to a European player when they signed Gasparini for $1.3 million in 2013. The native Italian was understandably very raw upon arrival in the U.S. and still has played just 77 games in two seasons after his 2015 campaign ended early. He left Idaho Falls in August to play for Italy in the 18U Baseball World Cup in Osaka, Japan. Gasparini remains an unfinished product but featured some of the more intriguing tools in the league. He led the league with 10 triples and tied for second with 26 stolen bases. Projecting as a potential impact shortstop, Gasparini flashes both a plus arm and plus speed. He's got a lean, athletic build that should be able to add strength. A switch-hitter, he goes gap-to-gap now but will add power as he builds strength, but he must improve his strike-zone judgment, for he ranked third in the league with 80 strikeouts. "He's a very exciting player," Idaho Falls manager Justin Gemoll said, "with off-the-charts athleticism." -
Gasparini was regarded as one of the best prospects to ever come from Europe if not the best. His $1.3 million dollar deal shattered the previous record for an European amateur. His pro debut was truncated due to injuries--hamstring troubles and a broken nose--as he barely accrued enough plate appearances to qualify for the list. He is green in the field and at the plate because of his limited baseball experience, but he turned 17 less than a month before the season started and made developmental strides. Gasparini is a plus athlete who is learning to turn his tools into baseball skills. He is at least a plus runner if not better. Scouts applauded his body control, athletic actions and hands at shortstop. His fringe-average arm was viewed as the biggest hindrance to him remaining at shortstop, but it improved and projects to be at least solid-average with a chance to be plus. His unconventional throwing mechanics improved and will need to continue to do so to remain at shortstop, because his lower half tends to get ahead of his arm, and he does not sync the two consistently. Gasparini's speed gives him a chance in center field if moved off the position. The switch-hitter struggled to make contact consistently in a very small sample size, no surprise given his background, but he has bat speed. His power is better from the left side at present, and the amount of strength he gains to his frame will dictate his power potential, with scouts saying he could easily fill to 190 or 195 pounds.
