Cleveland Baseball Insider's 2024 Season Top 50 Prospects: No. 50 OF Yerlin Luis
As we prepare for a new year and spring training to begin, there’s no better time to bring you an up-to-date look at Cleveland Baseball Insiders' top 50 prospects.
Rankings are based off seeing the players live, watching video and having conversations with evaluators within and outside of the organization, as well as other writers. While prospect lists are fun and entertaining for fans, they are not an end-all-be-all in terms of who make it eventually to the major leagues. Remember, Jose Ramirez was never a top-100 prospect nationally and players like Steven Kwan and Will Brennan weren't considered top-20 prospects in the Guardians organization by many outside publications.
The ultimate goal here is to inform our readers and give you information on some of the young talent in the organization that they can follow and look forward to seeing in the future at the MLB level.
Yerlin Luis - Outfielder
AGE - 18 | BATS - S |
DOB - 09/09/2005 | THROWS - R |
HT - 5'9" | SIGNED - 1/15/2023 |
WT - 155 | ETA - 2028 |
The now 18-year-old outfielder Luis received the second highest bonus in the Guardians 2023 international class, signing for $850K out of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. When Luis signed, he was considered a top-50 international free agent signing by multiple outlets. He made his pro-debut playing in 2021 season playing in the Dominican Summer League.
Scouting Grades
Hit - 50 | Arm - 50 |
Power - 20 | Field - 55 |
Run - 55 | Overall - 40 |
The Dominican outfielder has great bat speed with good bat-to-ball skills and a mature approach at the plate. Luis has a bit of an upstroke in his swing and that along with his consistent hard contact he makes could lead to some power at the plate as he continues to mature and fill out.
Luis is athletic and has a chance to become an above average centerfielder. He has average to above-average speed as well as an average to above-average arm. If he doesn't stick in center field, he could easily transition to a corner outfield spot.
2023 Stats
G | AB | H | R | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | SB | AVG | OBP | SLG | ISO | OPS | wRC+ |
39 | 125 | 28 | 36 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 14 | 54 | 42 | 15 | .224 | .478 | .296 | .072 | .774 | 137 |
Luis got off to a bit of a slow start at the plate in the Dominican Summer League, hitting just .182 over his first 23 games. But with his advanced approach at the plate, he was able to draw 31 walks posted a .438 on base percentage.
Over his final 16 games, he really came around and finished his first pro-season strong hitting .292 drawing 23 more walks while sporting a .541 on base percentage.
Luis' success on offense came from his tremendous ability to get on base. His 54 walks on the season were the second most by any player in the Dominican Summer League in 2023. The 54 walks also were good enough to tie him for the 10th most in the Guardians entire farm system despite playing in just 39 games.
His .224 season average can be overlooked a bit considering he finished with a .478 on base percentage and a terrific 137 wRC+ thanks in large part to a ridiculous 29.0% walk rate.
While he showed little-to-no power at the plate in his first season with just six extra base hits and zero home runs, he does have potential to add some pop as he matures and fills out more as he just turned 18 in September.
2024 and Future Outlook
Luis will most likely make the jump to the Arizona Complex League in 2024 for his second professional season.
Two things to look for from him next year and going forward will be can he maintain his ability to draw walks at a very high rate as he advances through the minor leagues against better pitchers with more command and control.
Secondly, how much strength and power can he continue to add or develop which is currently lacking from his overall game.
There is a lot to like about Luis especially with his advanced approach at the plate which the Guardians organization loves. If the rest of his game continues to develop around his strengths there is a ton of upside but for now, he is considered a high-risk prospect that needs time to develop into more of a complete player.
