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Scouting grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 55 | Run: 70 | Arm: 55 | Field: 55 | Overall: 50The Nationals had $5,179,700 in their international signing pool for the 2022 period and used $4,925,000 on Vaquero alone, making him the highest signee in his class. The Cuba native had moved to the Dominican Republic, where he picked up switch-hitting before signing, and stayed in the DR for his first taste of the Minors, hitting .256/.379/.341 with nine extra-base hits and 17 steals in 55 games in the Dominican Summer League.Vaquero’s mother was an Olympic swimmer and his father a judo fighter, and it’s clear the 18-year-old picked up their athletic genes. He’s already a plus-plus runner, and the Nats leaned into that by placing him exclusively in center field in the DSL. His arm should work in center as well. However, Vaquero didn’t show a ton of power at the Minors’ lowest level, in part because he hit a plurality of balls on the ground, and the pop he did exhibit came from his natural left-handed side (slugging .358 there compared to .250 as a righty) as he continues to get comfortable as a switch-hitter.Listed at 6-foot-3, 180 pounds entering 2023, Vaquero has plenty of projection remaining to get to his at least above-average power potential, and his overall approach, in which he walked nearly as much as he struck out, adds to that promise. He’ll still only be 18 for much of his first summer playing stateside, where he’ll pick up the at-bats to develop into a potential star up-the-middle talent.
Made his professional debut in the Dominican League. 2-3 1 2B 1 3B 2 RBI and a SB. #5 prospect in our system listed as a 6'3" 190 lb CF. Only 17 years old. Will be monitoring closely.
Was hoping they’d start him in the gulf coast league. Wondering if he kills it for a month he’ll get promoted.I hope so because I want him starting next year in low a
Any word on if he’s still trying to switch hit?
Way to go @jimcallisMLB at @MLBPipeline picks Cristhian Vaquero as his projected top mover from the DSL to Top-100 prospect status for 2023. #Nats
Cool, but like all prospects let's see him do it in AA before anyone gets too excited.
starting to heat up in the FCL. Slugging up to .357 and OPS up to .705Might see him in Fredricksburg before the year is out
this is the prospect phenotype comprised of the high-variance players, risky toolsheds who are far away from the big leagues but who have gigantic ceilings.
Vaquero is the Platonic Ideal of this prospect category, an uber-projectable outfielder built like Justin Jefferson who stands a chance to break out at basically any time.
