Jose Rondon

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked San Diego Padres #22 prospect in 2017
  Rondon signed with the Angels for $70,000 out of Venezuela as a 16-year old international free agent and was traded to the Padres three years later as the centerpiece prospect in a deal for closer Huston Street. Rondon owns a career .290 average in the minors despite being roughly two years younger than average at every level. A fractured elbow on a slide ended his 2015 season prematurely, but he returned in 2016 and hit .279 at Double-A San Antonio to earn his first big league callup. He hit .300 at Triple-A El Paso after returning to the minors. Rondon's barrel control is his one above-average offensive skill. His bat stays through the hitting zone, allowing him to make consistent contact and use the whole field, making him an average hitter. He is an average defender at shortstop with suitable lateral range, reliable hands and an above-average arm, but he is a fringe-average runner with below-average power, limiting his overall upside. Rondon rarely does anything flashy but is the lone shortstop in the Padres system with a track record of consistent offensive production and defensive reliability. He will start 2017 at Triple-A El Paso.
• 
  Ranked San Diego Padres #5 prospect in 2016
  The Angels signed Rondon out of Venezuela for $70,000 in 2011, then traded him to the Padres in July 2014 as the best prospect in the four-player package that relocated Huston Street to Anaheim. Rondon's presence was part of the reason the Padres bent to the Nationals' wishes to include Trea Turner in a deal for Wil Myers in the winter of 2014. While not flashy, Rondon has good lateral range, sure hands and an accurate, above-average arm. With soft hands and smooth footwork, he is capable of being an at least average everyday defender at short, with the ability to slide over to second base and be an above-average defender there. Outside of bat control, he has no outstanding offensive skill. Rondon has a linear bat path and solid strike-zone judgment. He tends to stab with the barrel, which tamps down his hit tool and power. A fringe-average runner, his stolen-base success rate as a pro is just 63 percent. Rondon fractured his right elbow in July at Double-A San Antonio on a slide, ending his season, but he should be ready for spring training. He may have the glove to be a regular but the bat of a utility player. He'll return to San Antonio in 2016.
• 
  Ranked San Diego Padres #14 prospect in 2015
  The Angels jumped Rondon from the Rookie-level Pioneer League in 2013 to high Class A Inland Empire in 2014, and the 20-year-old shortstop didn't miss a beat, hitting .319/.365/.409 to rank fourth in the California League batting race. He joined the Padres--along with R.J. Alvarez, Taylor Lindsey and Elliot Morris--in a mid-July deal that sent Huston Street to the Angels. Though not flashy, Rondon has at least average range to both sides, with the sure hands and the average, accurate arm to play shortstop passably in the majors. Outside of bat control, he has no outstanding offensive skill, with well below-average power and a contact-oriented, line-drive approach that could make him an average hitter. He's also a fringe-average runner who could lose a half step. Rondon probably would be stretched as a regular shortstop on a contender, though his attributes would seem to make him a fine utility candidate if he can learn to play second and third base. Double-A San Antonio will be the next step in 2015.
• 
  Ranked Los Angeles Angels #12 prospect in 2014
  Rondon was an athletic 16-year-old with a skinny frame when the Angels signed him for $70,000 in 2011. Due to natural maturation, plus plenty of work in the weight room, he has added nearly 25 pounds since he signed, which has paid off with line drives that carry farther, though he still has 20 power on the 20-80 scouting scale at this point. While Eric Stamets is the best defensive shortstop in the system, Rondon gives the club a more well-rounded shortstop, albeit one with less defensive ability. He has excellent bat-to-ball skills and a very workable, simple stroke with a good swing path. He was the fifth-toughest player in the Rookie-level Pioneer League to strike out in 2013. Rondon has walked more than he has struck out in two of his three pro seasons, which could serve him well as a top-of-the-order hitter. He's a tick-above-average runner, though he has yet to show he can pick his spots to steal. Rondon has a solid-average arm and makes the routine play at shortstop very reliably--he led the PL with a .955 fielding percentage--but he lacks ideal first-step quickness for the position. That might force a move to second base or more of a utility role. He's ready for low Class A Burlington in 2014.
• 
  Ranked Los Angeles Angels #19 prospect in 2013
  After signing for $70,000 in January 2011, Rondon had a strong pro debut in the Rookie-level Dominican Summer League. When he arrived in spring training last year, the organization game him a mandate to get bigger. He responded by going from 160 to 180 pounds by the end of the year while holding his own at the plate. Rondon is young, raw and aggressive. He has good bat-to-ball ability and loves to hit the fastball, though he's too much of a free swinger right now and often goes after the first fastball he sees. Though he has gotten stronger, he still has minimal power. He's also a fringy runner, so his offensive contributions may be limited to his batting average. Rondon shows flashes of becoming a solid shortstop with a strong arm and reliable hands. He still gets caught on his heels and gets poor jumps on balls, and he tries to make too many routine plays look flashy. If he outgrows shortstop, he might have to slide over to third base, and his bat wouldn't profile well there. Rondon has a realistic ceiling of a utilityman, though he'll have to show more impact with the bat and slow the game down to get there. The Angels plan to push some of their players more aggressively than they have in the past, so Rondon could jump to low Class A in 2013.

Minor League Top Prospects

• 
  Ranked Pioneer League #15 prospect in 2013
  A grinder who played nearly every day, Rondon isn?t flashy but he makes the routine defensive plays and is a tough out at the plate. He possesses tremendous hand-eye coordination?he was the fifth-toughest hitter in the PL to strike out?and knows how to take a walk. Rondon?s biggest area for improvement is to develop more power, though a hamate injury he was recovering from could have been a mitigating factor. Despite gaining more than 30 pounds since signing, he still has average to slightly above-average speed with good first-step quickness. Rondon?s range at shortstop is limited, but his arm grades out as a tick above-average and got better during the season. He loves to be on the field and plays through injuries. He profiles best as a utility player at the big league level.

• December, 2014 Scouting Report
  The Angels jumped Rondon from the Rookie-level Pioneer League in 2013 to high Class A Inland Empire in 2014, and the 20-year-old shortstop didn't miss a beat, hitting .319/.365/.409 to rank fourth in the California League batting race. He joined the Padres--along with R.J. Alvarez, Taylor Lindsey and Elliot Morris--in a mid-July deal that sent Huston Street to the Angels. Though not flashy, Rondon has at least average range to both sides, with the sure hands and the average, accurate arm to play shortstop passably in the majors. Outside of bat control, he has no outstanding offensive skill, with well below-average power and a contact-oriented, line-drive approach that could make him an average hitter. He's also a fringe-average runner who could lose a half step. Rondon probably would be stretched as a regular shortstop on a contender, though his attributes would seem to make him a fine utility candidate if he can learn to play second and third base. Double-A San Antonio will be the next step in 2015.