Cleveland Baseball Insider

Brito Dominating At Double-A Akron Since Promotion

The Guardians 21-year-old switch hitting infield prospect homered in both games of a doubleheader Thursday for the RubberDucks

Todd Paquette

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Juan Brito has some pretty big shoes to fill after being traded for Guardians former top prospect Nolan Jones from Colorado last November.

Brito made his organizational debut this season at High-A Lake County where he hit .265 with a .379 OBP and a 133 wRC+ over 35 games before his promotion to Double-A Akron on May 26th.

So far Double-A pitching is proving no match for Brito through his first 16 games with Akron. Brito is hitting .371 with a 184 wRC+ which includes four doubles and three home runs. Two of his home runs came last night as he homered in each game of a doubleheader against New Hampshire.

Brito set a career high with 11 home runs over 107 games in 2022 while with the Rockies organization. To date he now has seven home runs in just 51 games between Lake County and Akron in the Guardians organization.

The one question with Brito currently isn't his bat but more where does he end up playing? With Colorado he mostly spent time at second base. So far with Cleveland in 2023 he's spent 29 games at second base, 10 games at shortstop, 9 games at third base and 3 at designated hitter.

He may also be a potential candidate to move to first base or possibly a corner outfield spot down the road. The organization will need to find a home for his bat which currently looks like it has the potential to be one if not the best in the organizations in the farm system.

I will say watching video and seeing him live in some games at Akron defensively he shows better range and is quicker than I expected him to be. He may be able to stick at second or third base as he moves through the system.

Scouting report on Brito from last November:

Brito is considered a bat first prospect. He has the innate ability to swing hard and create high exit velocities (Max EV 110 in 2022) off his bat but is still able to maintain a high contact rate (82% in 2022) from both sides of the plate. Along with his high contact rate Brito also has a very good plate discipline and has the ability to draw walks. He has very quick hands that allow him to barrel up and turn on fastballs on the inside part of the plate and not get beat. Brito has some power potential and could end up being a 15-20 bat as he continues to develop and mature.

He is considered a bit of a below average runner that lacks range on defense and might only be an option at second base if he stays in the infield as he continues to move up. He does have an average to slightly above average arm and is athletic enough that enables him to turn and make tough throws to first base.

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Todd Paquette
TODD PAQUETTE

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