Aaron Whitefield

Organization Prospect Rankings

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  Ranked Minnesota Twins #28 prospect in 2019
  Track Record: Despite a broken hamate bone that cost him two months last season, Whitefield remains one of the more intriguing prospects in the system. Signed out of Australia for $70,000 late in the 2014-15 international signing period, Whitefield is the product of professional softball-playing parents and focused on softball into his mid-teens.
  
  Scouting Report: A true center fielder who rates as the best defensive outfielder in the system, the sturdy Aussie roams both gaps with plus range. Although his arm is just average, he is an above-average runner who has clocked sub-4.0 times to first from the right side. Still somewhat raw due to his background, Whitefield hit just .163 in his first 32 games after returning from the hamate injury before stabilizing in August. Intense, coachable and able to make adjustments quickly, his raw power remains and that should carry over into games more once he improves his contact rate (23.5 percent strikeout rate in 2018).
  
  The Future: Whitefield was a top performer at the Twins’ fall minicamp and was expected to recoup some of his lost at-bats while playing for Team Australia at the Pan Am Games qualifier as well as in the Australian League. Whitefield figures to open 2019 back in the Florida State League.
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  Ranked Minnesota Twins #19 prospect in 2018
  Signed out of Australia for $70,000, Whitefield comes from a family of athletes and continues to impress with his athleticism and production. Already among the best defensive outfielders in the system, the big-bodied Whitefield is remarkably light on his feet as he covers ground with plus range in center. His arm is just average. He is an above-average runner who has been timed at sub-4.0 seconds to first from the right side. Still fairly raw after focusing on softball into his mid-teens, he squared up a drastically open stance early last year with the help of low Class A hitting coach Brian Dinkelman. That helped Whitefield with his pitch recognition during a standout first half, although he tailed off in August and struggled overall against lefties. Whitefield projects to add another 20 pounds of muscle, which should only add to his above-average raw power as he improves his contact rate. Coachable and intense, he figures to open 2018 in the Florida State League.