Francisco Guzman

Organization Prospect Rankings

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  Ranked Washington Nationals #21 prospect in 2006
  Major League Baseball didn't allocate any money for the Expos to sign international players in 2002 or 2003, yet director of Latin American operations Ismael Cruz was able to sign Guzman for no bonus. A former basketball player, Guzman has had little baseball instruction and remains raw at age 22. An energetic, happy-go-lucky player with good work habits, he plays with flair but sometimes seems to have no idea what he's doing, mimicking bad big league habits because he doesn't know any better. His bat will be his ticket. A free swinger, Guzman has raw plus power to all fields and can get the bat on the ball anywhere in the zone, though he can get out of control. He has shortened his swing but needs to reduce an extremely pronounced leg kick. The Nationals played him in center field in order to get him more action and speed up his development, but his future is at a corner spot and he'll need to make huge strides to become a passable defender. Guzman has a strong arm and average speed, though he has long, awkward strides and runs the bases poorly. He already has started to improve at a rapid clip and could blossom if he's allowed to play every day in low Class A this year.