Jose Siri

Despite a meager .251 average with Double-A Chattanooga last season, Siri was promoted to the Triple-A level for the first time. The advancement proved to be overwhelming as Siri batted .186 and struck out 39 times in 102 at-bats. That isn't exactly surprising for a player who has hit only .264 in over 2,000 minor-league at-bats while displaying inconsistent power and inflated strikeout rates. Siri has whiffed in over 30% of his at-bats in the minors and has posted contact rates in the low-mid-60s after reaching the Double-A level. That's undoubtedly frustrating for a prospect who possesses tantalizing defensive skills, plus-plus speed and above-average raw power. Siri has stolen as many as 46 bases in the minors and could approach that with enough playing time in the big leagues, but that's unlikely to happen if he proves unable to handle major league -- or even Triple-A -- pitching.

Facing a pivotal year, Siri couldn't have started 2018 on worse note. He suffered ligament damage in his left thumb crashing into the wall during spring training and began the year on the DL. He returned with a bang for High-A Daytona, going 8-for-18 with a homer and three doubles in his first four games, but then stalled, ultimately hitting .261/.280/.395 in 30 games there. Because of his age, he was promoted to Double-A Pensacola to get him closer to being on the proper track, and with that promotion also came his power. Alas, it came at the expense of him being able to hit for average. Siri's inability to make consistent contact (64% at Pensacola) bodes ill for his potential to hit big-league pitching, thus limiting the likelihood that his speed/mid-power package ever plays.

Siri's 2017 season at Low-A is a perfect example of a false positive in the prospect world. He hit 24 home runs, stole 46 bases, had a 39-game hit streak and hit .293 in his first full season above rookie ball, yet he is not a top-100 prospect for dynasty leagues. Age relative to level is extremely important when evaluating prospects, and Siri, who turned 22 in July, has not played above the Midwest League. His Dayton teammate Taylor Trammell, a top-25 prospect, is over two years younger. Vladimir Guerrero Jr., the best prospect in the Midwest League last year, is almost four years younger than Siri. It also doesn't help that Siri was barely a prospect of note before last season. The 6-foot-2, 175-pound outfielder has some exciting tools (plus-plus speed, above-average power), but his hit tool remains questionable. His 0.25 BB/K was the eighth-worst mark in the league. If he were 18 or 19, that would be fine, but given his age, he is one bad season away from essentially being a non-prospect (see Aristides Aquino).