Jose Tena

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Cleveland Guardians #23 prospect in 2024
  BA Grade: 45/High
  
  Track Record: Cleveland’s 2017 international class has developed into a blockbuster. Outfielder George Valera and shortstop Brayan Rocchio have been the headliners of this group, but Tena, a nephew of Juan Uribe, has made a name for himself. He won the Arizona Fall League batting title after hitting .387 as a 20-year-old in 2021 and made his major league debut in August 2023. He spent most of 2023 at Double-A Akron, where he could play shortstop without competing for time with Rocchio.
  
  Scouting Report: Tena has a smaller frame that belies his ability. He has a loose, easy swing and above-average feel for the barrel that allows him to consistently square up balls. He’s an aggressive hitter who doesn’t walk much and struck out in 28.3% of his plate appearances in 2023. His whiff rate is higher than a player of his offensive profile would want and it’s something he’ll need to manage against high-level pitching. He’s an above-average runner and as he’s physically matured has grown into more power, though it mostly plays as doubles pop. Tena has an above-average arm, clean hands and solid range thanks to his speed and athleticism. He’s mostly played shortstop as a professional, but also has seen time at second and third base.
  
  The Future: Tena is a part of the growing legion of talented middle infielders in the organization. His defensive versatility is an asset and could help him break through the crowd or emerge as a utility option. He’ll start 2024 back in Columbus, where he’s played just 20 games so far.
  
  Scouting Grades Hit: 50 | Power: 45 | Run: 55 | Field: 50 | Arm: 55
• 
  Ranked Cleveland Guardians #14 prospect in 2023
  BA Grade/Risk: 50/High
  
  Track Record: Cleveland's 2017 international class has developed into a blockbuster. Outfielder George Valera and shortstop Brayan Rocchio have been the headliners of this group, but Tena, a nephew of Juan Uribe, isn't far behind. He finished an impressive 2021 with the Arizona Fall League batting title (.387) and continued to hit in 2022, reaching Triple-A Columbus as a 21-year-old.
  
  Scouting Report: Tena has a smaller frame that belies his ability. He has a loose, easy swing and good feel for the barrel which allows him to consistently square up balls. He's an aggressive hitter who doesn't walk much and struck out in 25.1% of his plate appearances, a rate he'll have to manage while advancing toward the major leagues. He's an above-average runner and as he's physically matured has developed solid power potential. Tena has an above-average arm, good hands and solid range thanks to his speed and athleticism. He mostly has played shortstop as a professional, but also has seen time at second and third base.
  
  The Future: Tena is a part of the growing legion of talented middle infielders in the organization. His defensive versatility is an asset and could help him break through the crowd, but he'll likely start 2023 back in Columbus.
  
  Scouting Grades: Hit: 55. Power: 45. Speed: 55. Fielding: 50. Arm: 55.
• 
  Ranked Cleveland Guardians #11 prospect in 2022
  Track Record: Cleveland’s 2017 international class has developed into a blockbuster. Outfielder George Valera and shortstop Brayan Rocchio have been the headliners of the group and Tena, a nephew of Juan Uribe, is fast closing in on them. After a strong season with High-A Lake County that saw him rank second in the league in hits (116), the 20-year-old finished the year by winning the Arizona Fall League batting title (.387).
  
  Scouting Report: Tena has a smaller frame but that belies his ability. He has a loose, easy swing and good feel for the barrel, allowing him to consistently square up balls. He’s an aggressive hitter who doesn’t walk much and struck out in 26% of his plate appearances, a rate he’ll have to manage while continuing to advance toward the major leagues. He’s an above-average runner and as he’s physically matured has developed solid power potential. Tena has an above-average arm, good hands and solid range thanks to his speed and athleticism. He mostly played shortstop at Lake County, while also seeing time at second and third base.
  
  The Future: Tena elevated his profile with his performance in 2021. He’ll look to build on his success in 2022 as he advances to Double-A Akron.
  
• 
  Ranked Cleveland Guardians #28 prospect in 2020
  TRACK RECORD: The Indians' 2017 international signing class is fast turning into a blockbuster. It already features three players ranked among their top 10 prospects, and now Tena, a nephew of Juan Uribe, is making his own case. He stood out in the Arizona League for his offensive acumen and athleticism.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Tena has a loose, easy swing and good feel for the bat, allowing him to consistently square up balls. He's an aggressive hitter who rarely walks and will need to learn to control the strike zone better as he advances. He's a plus runner who likely won't ever hit for much power. Tena has an above-average arm, good hands and solid range thanks to his speed and athleticism. He mostly played shortstop in Arizona and figures to be capable there, but he might end up as a plus defender at second base.
  
  THE FUTURE: Tena is a step behind his more heralded classmates, but his early performance has been very encouraging. He'll look to continue that in 2020 with short-season Mahoning Valley.

Minor League Top Prospects

• 
  Ranked Arizona Complex League #15 prospect in 2019
  While Aaron Bracho and George Valera were the key members of Cleveland's 2018 international class, the Indians may have gotten another keeper for $400,000 in Tena. He hit .325/.352/.440 in his stateside debut. What reinforces Tena's projection is his lean, athletic body. "He's got some length to his body, some length to his arms, and some height to his body," Indians Blue manager Larry Day said. "His ceiling, just from a body projection, is high." Tena is an advanced, pure hitter, consistently looking to drive balls the other way with an approach that allows him to cover the whole plate. He's aggressive at the plate, not yet drawing many walks but putting balls in play even when he expands the zone. More power should come with added strength, and he's a plus runner. Tena is also an exciting player on the field, with projected plus range and an arm that plays up because of his good hands. Tena is the prototypical high-ceiling, low-floor prospect.

• February, 2023 Scouting Report
  BA Grade/Risk: 50/High
  
  Track Record: Cleveland's 2017 international class has developed into a blockbuster. Outfielder George Valera and shortstop Brayan Rocchio have been the headliners of this group, but Tena, a nephew of Juan Uribe, isn't far behind. He finished an impressive 2021 with the Arizona Fall League batting title (.387) and continued to hit in 2022, reaching Triple-A Columbus as a 21-year-old.
  
  Scouting Report: Tena has a smaller frame that belies his ability. He has a loose, easy swing and good feel for the barrel which allows him to consistently square up balls. He's an aggressive hitter who doesn't walk much and struck out in 25.1% of his plate appearances, a rate he'll have to manage while advancing toward the major leagues. He's an above-average runner and as he's physically matured has developed solid power potential. Tena has an above-average arm, good hands and solid range thanks to his speed and athleticism. He mostly has played shortstop as a professional, but also has seen time at second and third base.
  
  The Future: Tena is a part of the growing legion of talented middle infielders in the organization. His defensive versatility is an asset and could help him break through the crowd, but he'll likely start 2023 back in Columbus.
  
  Scouting Grades: Hit: 55. Power: 45. Speed: 55. Fielding: 50. Arm: 55.
• December, 2022 Scouting Report
  BA Grade/Risk: 50/High
  
  Track Record: Cleveland's 2017 international class has developed into a blockbuster. Outfielder George Valera and shortstop Brayan Rocchio have been the headliners of this group, but Tena, a nephew of Juan Uribe, isn't far behind. He finished an impressive 2021 with the Arizona Fall League batting title (.387) and continued to hit in 2022, reaching Triple-A Columbus as a 21-year-old.
  
  Scouting Report: Tena has a smaller frame that belies his ability. He has a loose, easy swing and good feel for the barrel which allows him to consistently square up balls. He's an aggressive hitter who doesn't walk much and struck out in 25.1% of his plate appearances, a rate he'll have to manage while advancing toward the major leagues. He's an above-average runner and as he's physically matured has developed solid power potential. Tena has an above-average arm, good hands and solid range thanks to his speed and athleticism. He mostly has played shortstop as a professional, but also has seen time at second and third base.
  
  The Future: Tena is a part of the growing legion of talented middle infielders in the organization. His defensive versatility is an asset and could help him break through the crowd, but he'll likely start 2023 back in Columbus.
  
  Scouting Grades: Hit: 55. Power: 45. Speed: 55. Fielding: 50. Arm: 55.
• April, 2022 Scouting Report
  BA Grade: 50/High
  
  Track Record: Cleveland&#39s 2017 international class has developed into a blockbuster. Outfielder George Valera and shortstop Brayan Rocchio have been the headliners of the group and Tena, a nephew of Juan Uribe, is fast closing in on them. After a strong season with High-A Lake County that saw him rank second in the league in hits (116), the 20-year-old finished the year by winning the Arizona Fall League batting title (.387).
  
  Scouting Report: Tena has a smaller frame but that belies his ability. He has a loose, easy swing and good feel for the barrel, allowing him to consistently square up balls. He&#39s an aggressive hitter who doesn&#39t walk much and struck out in 26% of his plate appearances, a rate he&#39ll have to manage while continuing to advance toward the major leagues. He&#39s an above-average runner and as he&#39s physically matured has developed solid power potential. Tena has an above-average arm, good hands and solid range thanks to his speed and athleticism. He mostly played shortstop at Lake County, while also seeing time at second and third base.
  
  The Future: Tena elevated his profile with his performance in 2021. He&#39ll look to build on his success in 2022 as he advances to Double-A Akron.
• December, 2021 Scouting Report
  Track Record: Cleveland’s 2017 international class has developed into a blockbuster. Outfielder George Valera and shortstop Brayan Rocchio have been the headliners of the group and Tena, a nephew of Juan Uribe, is fast closing in on them. After a strong season with High-A Lake County that saw him rank second in the league in hits (116), the 20-year-old finished the year by winning the Arizona Fall League batting title (.387).
  
  Scouting Report: Tena has a smaller frame but that belies his ability. He has a loose, easy swing and good feel for the barrel, allowing him to consistently square up balls. He’s an aggressive hitter who doesn’t walk much and struck out in 26% of his plate appearances, a rate he’ll have to manage while continuing to advance toward the major leagues. He’s an above-average runner and as he’s physically matured has developed solid power potential. Tena has an above-average arm, good hands and solid range thanks to his speed and athleticism. He mostly played shortstop at Lake County, while also seeing time at second and third base.
  
  The Future: Tena elevated his profile with his performance in 2021. He’ll look to build on his success in 2022 as he advances to Double-A Akron.
  
• July, 2021 Scouting Report
  Tena, 20, this season made his full-season debut with High-A Lake County. He's put together a strong all-around campaign while playing three infield positions.
• February, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: The Indians' 2017 international signing class is fast turning into a blockbuster. It already features three players ranked among their top 10 prospects, and now Tena, a nephew of Juan Uribe, is making his own case. He stood out in the Arizona League for his offensive acumen and athleticism.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Tena has a loose, easy swing and good feel for the bat, allowing him to consistently square up balls. He's an aggressive hitter who rarely walks and will need to learn to control the strike zone better as he advances. He's a plus runner who likely won't ever hit for much power. Tena has an above-average arm, good hands and solid range thanks to his speed and athleticism. He mostly played shortstop in Arizona and figures to be capable there, but he might end up as a plus defender at second base.
  
  THE FUTURE: Tena is a step behind his more heralded classmates, but his early performance has been very encouraging. He'll look to continue that in 2020 with short-season Mahoning Valley.
• December, 2018 Scouting Report
  While Aaron Bracho and George Valera were the key members of Cleveland's 2018 international class, the Indians may have gotten another keeper for $400,000 in Tena. He hit .325/.352/.440 in his stateside debut. What reinforces Tena's projection is his lean, athletic body. "He's got some length to his body, some length to his arms, and some height to his body," Indians Blue manager Larry Day said. "His ceiling, just from a body projection, is high." Tena is an advanced, pure hitter, consistently looking to drive balls the other way with an approach that allows him to cover the whole plate. He's aggressive at the plate, not yet drawing many walks but putting balls in play even when he expands the zone. More power should come with added strength, and he's a plus runner. Tena is also an exciting player on the field, with projected plus range and an arm that plays up because of his good hands. Tena is the prototypical high-ceiling, low-floor prospect.