Joshua Fuentes

Fuentes received the first 56 plate appearances of his major-league career last season but hardly covered himself in glory, hitting .218/.232/.400 while striking out 20 times and walking just once. He regressed at the Triple-A level as well, hitting just .254/.298/.448 (73 wRC+) for Albuquerque after hitting .327/.354/.517 (124 wRC+) there the season prior. Heading into his age-27 season with no success at the big-league level, Fuentes seems to be a long shot to play a significant role this year. He was never a particularly highly-rated prospect, though he does at least have decent power. Any player who gets a run of starts in Coors Field is at least moderately interesting, particularly those who can hit the ball out of the park, but there's just not enough of a track record here to believe Fuentes will get an extended opportunity.

Fuentes was best known as Nolan Arenado's cousin heading into 2018, but he made a name for himself last season, garnering Pacific Coast League MVP honors in what was his first taste of Triple-A. The infielder earned the award by slashing .327/.354/.517 with 14 homers and 95 RBI in 135 games for Albuquerque. He continued to impress in the Arizona Fall League, hitting .301/.356/.482 with three homers in 21 games. Fuentes could stand to improve his plate discipline, as he walked in just 3.6% of his plate appearances while striking out in 17.6%. He's primarily a third baseman, though Fuentes also spent time at first base in 2018. He's blocked at both positions at the major-league level, so Fuentes figures to head back to Triple-A to open the 2019 season. He was added to the team's 40-man roster for Rule 5 protection in the offseason, making him a candidate to make his major-league debut at some point in 2019.