Luis Matos

Matos lived up to the hype in his full-season debut. A top-30 prospect for dynasty leagues before playing his first game at Low-A, the lean, athletic outfielder hit .313/.358/.494 with 15 home runs, 21 steals (on 26 attempts) and an elite 12.4 K% in 109 games as one of the youngest hitters at the level. It's unusual for a teenager to make contact at such a high clip in full-season ball, but to do so while also hitting for notable power is quite rare. Matos' batted-ball profile wasn't exquisite (52.3 Pull%, 19.4 LD%, 30.4 IFFB%), and it's clear that he is an aggressive hitter who was able to get by on rare talent among his peer group -- something that might not translate, at least initially, against more advanced pitchers. However, the fact that he is already checking so many important boxes should leave dynasty-league managers quite bullish on Matos heading into his age-20 season.

Matos turned heads in 2019 with an eye-popping statistical performance in the Dominican Summer League and AZL as a 17-year-old. The pandemic prevented him from having a true stateside breakout in 2020, but he worked diligently on his body, adding good weight (now 6-foot, 186 pounds), and really stood out during the fall instructional league. Matos, who turned 19 in January, has a chance to be a true five-tool player. He will stick in center field thanks to above-average speed and good instincts and he also has an above-average arm. He is most impressive at the plate, however, where he has the bat speed, pitch recognition and contact skill to become a plus hitter who also hits 20-plus home runs annually. Matos has a chance to be fast-tracked going forward, likely spending most of the 2021 season at High-A.

The July 2, 2018 international signing class is looking very promising, and Matos is the big sleeper of the group. Unlike Marco Luciano, Noelvi Marte and Orelvis Martinez, Matos did not receive a seven-figure bonus ($725,000), but he performed like a future star in his pro debut. The 5-foot-11, 160-pound center fielder showed off big tools in 55 games in the Dominican Summer League, hitting .362/.430/.570 (171 wRC+) with seven home runs, 20 steals (on 22 attempts), a .209 ISO, 7.0 BB% and 11.1 K%. He also excelled in five AZL games to close the year. As with many overqualified DSL hitters, Matos pulled the ball too much (59.9 Pull%), simply because it was an easy way to dominate on that circuit. However, with his elite contact skills and bat speed, he is a good bet to be able to make the necessary adjustments against advanced pitching. Look for Matos to spend most of his age-18 season at Low-A.