Inside The Rangers' Prospect Watch: No. 10 Sherten Apostel

Inside The Rangers on SI begins our Prospect Watch preseason rankings with our #10 prospect Sherten Apostel.

10. Sherten Apostel | 3B

Born: March 11, 1999
Bats: R Throws: R
Height: 6'4" Weight: 200 
Drafted: Signed by PIT in 2015, Curacao (acquired via trade in 2018)
Team: Down East (A+)
Other Team Rankings: Baseball America (N/A), MLB Pipeline (10)

Career Statistics

Player Bio

Sherten Apostel was the 'Player to be Named' in the trade that sent relief pitcher Keone Kela to the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2019. A native of Curacao, the same island that Jurickson Profar is from, Apostel signed for $200,000 in 2015. While he was never viewed as a top international prospect, the third baseman has been quickly ascending through Rangers' farm system despite a slow start to his professional career that included a repeat of the Dominican Summer League.

Strengths

At 6'4" and 200 lbs, power is the name of the game for Apostel. Perhaps even more importantly is his awareness at the plate. His walk rate has remained near 20% for the majority of his pro career, and has also kept his strikeout numbers low. His advanced approach allows him to be a true difference maker for the clubs he plays for, which he showcased after making the move to the Rangers' system and helping the Spokane Indians to the Northwest League championship.

His arm is another obvious strength which is what has allowed him to stay at third base. Despite his frame, Apostel has proven he is incredibly athletic and quick, which could help him if he is asked to move off of third base in the future. 

Weaknesses

Apostel has never hit for average, despite having such a mature presence at the plate. His career slash line of .249/.368/.426 suggests that he does a great job of getting on base, but his hit tool needs improvement in order to find an eventual spot in the big leagues. 

Furthermore, the third baseman has a tendency to pull balls when he puts them in the air. His 1.5 groundout/airout ratio (GO/AO) is another cause for concern when looking at his projection as a hitter.

Defense has not been Apostel's calling card in his career despite manning the hot corner. He did just enough in 2019 to prove that he can stay at third base. While he does have a big arm that naturally slots him to third base, he has had trouble early on in his career in being a consistent, and effective defender.

Apostel will have to prove in the upper levels of the minors that he has the ability to improve on his hit tool as well as on his defense. 

Future

With fellow third baseman Josh Jung making his meteoric rise in the same system, Apostel will likely start the year in Down East, and could possibly find his way to Frisco by the end of the season.

With his current makeup, Apostel could conceivably lower his GO/AO while adding more power. If he were to make these improvements, the third baseman would project to be an average hitter, with above average power. 

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