Baseball Prospectus | | Eyewitness Scouting Report


	Ronald Guzmán Born: 10/20/1994 (Age: 20)
	Bats: Left	Throws: Left
	Height: 6' 5"	Weight: 235
	Primary Position: 1B

Long, gangly frame, high waist; looks an inch or two taller than listed 6'5"; hasn't mastered physicality, body has filled out quicker than his ability to control it; lacks coordination despite demonstrated flexibility, long actions.

Evaluator	Wilson Karaman
Report Date	07/13/2015
Dates Seen	6/16, 6/17, 7/1, 7/12
Affiliate	High Desert Mavericks (High A, Rangers)

MLB ETA	Risk Factor	OFP	Video
2018	Extreme	40	Yes

Tool	Future Grade	Report
Hit	40	Wide base, hands to ear with aggressive waggle pre-pitch; high load with significant bat wrap and a hitch; front shoulder stays closed, extreme length into the zone; minimal leg lift, firm plant of front foot, hips fire late, average bat speed; long arms and torso, struggles to get to inner-third; feel for the barrel, moderate control; aggressive approach, below-average command of the zone, will expand early and in hitting counts.
Power	45	55 raw; mild leverage against right-handed pitching, none against same-hand, line-drive oriented; opposite-field approach, difficulties covering inner-third limit game utility.
Baserunning/Speed	25	Clocks at 4.44 and 4.57 (half-step check-up); lumbering start-up, takes a good four steps to get up to speed; some second gear once everything's churning, but no utility.
Glove	45	Long first step, cross-over to backhand takes forever and a day; average hands, good size offsets some range limitations; struggles to identify spin on grounders, poor mobility limits ability to get down on balls laterally.
Arm	50	Above-average arm strength, poor body control and heavy feet in set-up; average accuracy.

Guzman has been pushed aggressively in spite of some off-field circumstances and a bat-first profile that remains extremely undeveloped. I've seen him across three series now over the course of the past month and he's had a different starting position and set-up with his hands in each viewing. The tinkering is an effort to mold together some of the intriguing raw ingredients Guzman will sporadically flash into a more flowing, consistently balanced swing. He's a below-average athlete despite some flexibility in his big frame, and while he projects as an adequate defender the bat will have to be the carrying tool here and it does not currently project to be. His above-average raw power remains extremely limited in games, as his present approach is geared almost exclusively towards hitting line drives the other way. Poor tracking, length in the swing, and modest bat speed limit his hit tool projection.

There's enough in the toolbox to dream on a Major League career, but the extreme risk in the profile makes it difficult to project one with confidence.