16. Dyan Jorge (319 points, 23 ballots)
When Jorge signed with the Rockies in January 2022, it was a culmination of a two-year wait for the Cuban shortstop. The former U-15 shortstop for the Cuban national team defected from Cuba in late 2019 at age sixteen with the idea of signing in time for the 2020 season. After a few months spent establishing residence outside of Cuba, Jorge was deemed eligible to sign in early 2020. By that time, the pandemic had delayed the traditional July 2 signing period into January 2021 (and did it again the next season) and besides, most of the bonus pool money allotted to teams was already promised to others.
As such, Jorge was forced to wait until January 2022 to receive a $2.8 million bonus from the Rockies — the largest such bonus they’ve ever handed out to a Latin American amateur free agent. For reference, that signing bonus is more than late-first round picks in the US draft get, indicating a prospect has athleticism and potential to be a big league contributor.
Based on the below scouting accounts, the 6’3”, 170-pound Jorge (who turns 20 in March) is an athletic player with high upside and good bat speed but who might be moving off shortstop as he continues to grow. The delay in signing Jorge will work out well for the Rockies, who are less likely to need to add him to the 40-man roster prematurely given his advanced age at signing.
Jorge spent first professional season in the Dominican Summer League in 2022, where he was about 1.2 years older than average. In 234 plate appearances there, Jorge predictably performed well, hitting .320/.402/.452 with four homers and 18 overall extra-base hits (133 wRC+). That includes striking out in 15% of PA and walking in 10%. He handled shortstop defensively but has committed 16 errors in 51 games.
Here’s some video of Jorge taken from a Dominican Republic showcase courtesy of Francys Romero:
Fangraphs is the high group on Jorge, currently ranking him 11th in the system and rating him as a 40+ FV player, albeit with a center field future:
[Jorge] plays the game upright, without a lot of bend in his knees and hips, but Jorge is a premium rotational athlete with plus present bat speed and a Division-I cornerback’s build that portends more power. He is one of a few high-variance shortstop prospects from the 2022 international class. While the general lack of flexibility creates skepticism around Jorge’s ability to stay at shortstop, he has the speed to play center field if he has to move off the dirt. He’s a very talented up-the-middle prospect.
Kiley McDaniel of ESPN.com likewise ranked Jorge as a 40+ FV player, placing him 14th in the system before 2022:
Jorge waited an extra signing period for budgets to reset to land a $2.8 million bonus from the Rockies. He has a little more physical upside than Tovar and Amador, at 6-foot-2 with plus speed and above-average bat speed but he’s the same age as Amador with no pro performance, so he slides in just behind for now.
In Nick Groke’s piece at the Athletic on Colorado’s international signing class from January 2022, Jorge was lauded by the Rockies:
What [the Rockies] saw in Jorge was advanced baseball feel with speed and quick hands. They clocked Jorge, even as a right-handed hitter, as running home plate to first base in 4.1 seconds, which would have accounted for one of the fastest sprint speeds in the majors last season.
“He has a wiry, athletic body and good actions at short,” [Rolando] Fernandez said. “And he’s a good hitter, a line-drive hitter who we think can develop some power.”
Jorge was ranked 15th on MLB.com’s international prospect list before signing and currently slots in at 16 in the system list as a 45 FV player:
Many think Jorge should be able to stick at shortstop long-term, with good actions and instincts and where his baseball IQ allows his skills to shine. His excellent speed should help him on both sides of the ball, even if he has to change positions.
What kind of hitter Jorge will become remains to be seen. His feel for the game is apparent from the right side of the plate and he has a contact oriented approach geared for line drives. He’s wiry strong and should be able to add strength to his 6-foot-3 frame, giving him the chance to be a solid big league regular in time.
As a high bonus, up-the-middle player with great upside, Jorge was a clear player to rank for me at 13th in the system as a 40+ FV prospect. I’m valuing him like a late-first round pick with that signing bonus, so he should probably ranked like it too. I’m curious to see if Jorge gets the jump straight to full-season ball in 2023 or if the Rockies start him out in the complex league.
As I stated above, the wait for Jorge to sign means he’ll be able to prove his bona fides to the Rockies much sooner than other January 2022 Latin America signees, and more in line with the timeline of an American high school draftee — which at this point is probably three to five full minor league seasons.
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