On Monday afternoon Kansas City Royals general manager J.J. Picollo decided to shake things up in his organization. First came the Carlos Santana trade to the Seattle Mariners. Shortly after, the organization decided to promote first baseman prospect Vinnie Pasquantino to the big leagues for his first taste of MLB action.
He’s the third-ranked prospect in the Royals’ organization and the No. 98 player on MLB’s top 100 prospect list, but what makes Pasquantino a top prospect?
Vinnie Pasquantino destroys baseballs
The Royals are about to give Vinnie Pasquantino his first-ever MLB at-bats, and it’s not just because the team decided to trade Carlos Santana. Well, that certainly helped clear the runway, but it’s not the only reason.
Pasquantino’s promotion is long overdue. He’s been raking at the AAA level as a 24-year-old.
- Vinnie Pasquantino stats: .280/.372/.576/.948, 18 HR, 67 RBI, 3 SB in 250 AB
The 6-foot-4 left-handed first baseman was selected in the 11th round in the 2019 MLB Draft by the Royals and all he’s done since is tear the cover off the ball. Like many other larger first basemen, he’s not the best fielder, though he does have better-than-expected athleticism. Make no mistake, this kid’s here to send balls over the fence, but he also knows how to get on base.
Pasquantino has more walks (37) than strikeouts (36), which suggests his eye might be more MLB-ready than other prospects the Royals have waiting in the wings.
For the Royals, they have nothing to lose by seeing how Pasquantino responds to MLB pitching. He’s performed extraordinarily well at other stops and top prospect Nick Pratto has yet to impress like Pasquantino has, but he’s also a year younger.
Though if Pasquantino struggles, it wouldn’t shock anyone to see Pratto get his shot in the majors next.