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You probably don’t know who Wilmer Difo is. Hell, I barely know who Wilmer Difo is. The middle infielder is not an especially sexy prospect given his lack of power (five career HR in 231 games) and propensity to make mistakes in the field (70 errors in 1022 career chances, .932 fielding percentage).Difo has made himself interesting, though. He caught my eye by stealing two bases in each of Hagerstown’s first two games of the season this year. With a career OBP of .342 buoyed by a mature-for-his-age control of the strike zone (11.4% BB rate and 13.3% K rate), he raises the eyebrows of stat guys like myself. His 76 stolen bases in 100 total chances (that’s a 76% rate for those of you who didn’t major in math) show off both the raw speed that scouts love (76 SB!!) as well as the efficiency that stat guys love (76%!!). With Difo, there isn’t a superstar in the making, but there is enough to like about him for both sides of the prospecting aisle.Besides the switch hitting, good plate discipline, and great speed, Difo’s work ethic stands out. Byron Kerr wrote about the Nats’ renewed effort to eat right and build strength during the offseason, mentioning that the Nats came up with a formula to rank each player’s “relative strength” contrived from each player’s efforts within conditioning, agility and weight lifting competitions. Difo ranked first in this competition, beating out top prospects Lucas Giolito and Jake Johansen in the process. Adam Kilgore also tweeted in mid-March that Difo was a guy who was impressing Nats officials during Spring Training. It’s common to see minor leaguers who don’t look like they’re living up to their physical potential; Difo seems to be actively trying to raise his potential.At just 22 years old, Difo is right in line with the prime age to play in the A-ball South Atlantic League. 2014 is an important year for him to show he can play a full season and hit more difficult pitching, but another solid year could put him solidly on the prospect radar rather than being JAG (just a guy). He’s already on the radar of minor league followers like myself and team officials, so Difo is obviously doing something right. For an organization that has been outright awful at developing International Free Agents over the years, Difo is both an encouragement and a pleasant surprise.
Wilmer Difo is an electric athlete and a name to remember in the Nationals farm system. A 22-year-old switch hitter, he showed good bat speed from the right side and uses his excellent speed to effect games on the bases. He started at shortstop and did not look particularly comfortable at the position, making a routine error early in the game. While it was only one observation, I think he is a second baseman or perhaps a future center fielder. Nevertheless, Difo has impressive tools and should be in line for a promotion to High-A Potomac in the coming weeks.
WASHINGTON—With everyday roles as a table-setter and middle infielder, Wilmer Difo has taken off at low Class A Hagerstown.Wilmer Difo (Photo by Diamond Images).First-year Suns manager Patrick Anderson saw glimpses last year of what Difo could do. Then again, so did a majority of managers in the system.Difo helped out where he was needed, playing six games for Anderson in the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League, 33 games at short-season Auburn, 16 games with Hagerstown and six more at high Class A Potomac.Though Difo is coming off a year in which he hit just .217 in 207 at-bats, Anderson was confident the switch-hitter could thrive as a regular.Through 99 at-bats this season, Difo hit .313/.346/.434 and led the South Atlantic League with 31 hits and ranked third with nine stolen bases. He drew four walks and struck out seven times.“He has been around, but he hasn’t had a lot of experience, to be honest with you,” Anderson said. “He’s the type of player who has a lot of versatility. Fortunately, he’s had a good start and has run with it. It was a definite plan to put him at the top of the order and see what he could do.”Difo had played 17 games at second base and seven at shortstop, but Anderson said he also plays third base adeptly.Signed in 2010 out of the Dominican Republic, Difo also had a big year in the GCL two seasons ago under now-Potomac manager Tripp Keister. He led the league with 34 walks and ranked second with 19 stolen bases.Farm director Mark Scialabba called Difo a “plus-plus runner” and commended the infielder for his improvements on the bases and at the plate.“We’re excited about Wilmer’s progress so far,” he said. “He’s a dynamic athlete. It’s a matter of harnessing his tools.”
he was great in Plitoon as well.
Helium WatchWilmer Difo, ss, Nationals: The Nationals took a low-cost flier on Difo when they signed him for $20,000 out of the Dominican Repulbic when he was 18. Difo had played in the Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI) program as a kid, but he was raw, and for four years his performance never did much to inspire confidence, even with well-above average speed, a plus arm and excellent athleticism. Difo spent time at low Class A Hagerstown early in the 2013 season, but the Nationals had to demote him to short-season Auburn before sending him down to the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League to finish the year. Difo didn’t handle failure well, and the Nationals had to work with him on his professional conduct. But this year, he seems to have flipped the switch. The 22-year-old switch-hitter made the low Class A South Atlantic League all-star team and is hitting .317/.347/.478 with seven home runs and 20 stolen bases with only one unsuccessful attempt. With his tools and breakout offensive performance, Difo has turned his career around and turned into a legitimate prospect.
Bump to High A soon?
this guy is almost leading the SAL in RBI's and steals . Bautista has 62 and he has 43 wow
He's really not almost leading the SAL in steals. He's short by almost 20. If Bautista took the rest of the season off, Difo wouldn't catch him.
Stole 2 yesterday (49), went 4 for 5 with his 13th HR. Now hitting .323.
what a stud god damn, he has like 80+ rbi's
OK, so that's 2 MVPs out of our top 4 minor league teams.
Who was the other?
