Ibandel Isabel

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Cincinnati Reds #28 prospect in 2020
  TRACK RECORD: Isabel signed with the Dodgers for $80,000 at 17 and grew into one of minor league baseball's most prolific home run hitters, as well as one of its easiest players to strike out. The Reds acquired him with reliever Zach Neal for Ariel Hernandez in April 2018. Isabel hit a Florida State Leaguerecord 35 home runs that year and led the Double-A Southern League with 26 home runs in 2019, but he also struck out a combined 314 times in those two seasons.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Isabel has top-of-the-scale raw power and can hit the ball out of any ballpark. He has plus bat speed, but with a lot of moving parts to his swing, he frequently swings through pitches in the strike zone and has a penchant for chasing pitches out of the zone. When he connects he hits gargantuan home runs, but his max-effort swing and its resulting holes are problematic. Once a butcher in the field, Isabel has grown coordinated enough to handle first base and has an average arm. He committed just one error in 414.1 innings at the position in 2019.
  
  THE FUTURE: Ibandel strikes out far too much to be a regular, but he might be an interesting power bat off the bench. He'll see Triple-A Louisville in 2020.
• 
  Ranked Cincinnati Reds #24 prospect in 2019
  Track Record: Isabel was dealt to Cincinnati from the Dodgers as a part of a package for reliever Ariel Hernandez. Originally signed at age 17, Ibandel has spent time in the outfield as well as first base. Isabel has some of the best power in the minors. He set a Florida State League record with 35 homers in 2018 and with 36 overall tied the Mets' Peter Alonso for the overall minor league lead.
  
  Scouting Report: Isabel is well known for having top-shelf raw power. He generates excellent loft and can hit it out of the park to any field. He slots his hands into a lower position before taking a big stride, which has caused him to swing and miss with frightening frequency. When he connects, he can clear the wall in any park. Ibandel is athletic enough and has a solid arm. His footwork around the bag is passable and works well enough to stick there defensively.
  
  The Future: Double-A is going to be a big test for Isabel. He was left unprotected and unpicked in the Rule 5 draft, and teams are skeptical that his approach will allow him to make enough contact.
• 
  Ranked Los Angeles Dodgers #31 prospect in 2018
  The two highest exit velocities in all of professional baseball belonged to Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge in 2017. Isabel was third. The chiseled, long-levered Dominican hit home runs of legendary proportions throughout 2017 at high Class A Rancho Cucamonga, including an opposite-field blast at his home park that cleared a nearly 40-foot-high scoreboard in right-center and another at Lake Elsinore that cleared a two-lane road and landed in a grocery store parking lot. Isabel, who the Dodgers signed for $80,000 in 2013, led the system with 28 home runs and possesses true 80-grade power with his premium strength and elite bat speed. The problem is every other tool is near bottom-of-the-scale. Isabel swings from his shoes, is completely undone by breaking balls and has so much head and lower half movement in his load and swing that scouts give him “no chance” to hit at higher levels. Defensively Isabel is awkward and gangly at first base and frequently butchers routine ground balls. He has zero speed. Isabel has few believers, but if he can get to his mesmerizing power even a little at Double-A in 2018, he may get a shot as a bench bat.
• 
  Ranked Los Angeles Dodgers #23 prospect in 2014
  The Dodgers signed Isabel out of the Dominican Republic one month before the 2013 Dominican Summer League season started. He quickly showed why Los Angeles was drawn to him after an outstanding pro debut in the DSL, where he ranked third in the league in slugging (.500). Isabel stands out physically for his large, projectable frame with plenty of room to add weight and strength, but he?s an advanced hitter for his age and his size. He has good hitting actions, uses his hands well and has a sound, righthanded swing with good path to the ball. Isabel didn?t show much over-the-fence power in 2013, but he racked up plenty of doubles (15 in 57 games) and could grow into plus power once he fills out. The power will have to come for Isabel because he doesn't offer much value beyond what he does at the plate. With speed and arm strength that both grade as below-average, Isabel is limited to left field and could end up at first base. While fellow first-year Dominican outfielder Michael Medina ranked second in the DSL in home runs, Isabel is the better prospect because he has more feel for hitting. He should make his U.S. debut in 2014, likely in the Rookie-level Arizona League.

• February, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: Isabel signed with the Dodgers for $80,000 at 17 and grew into one of minor league baseball's most prolific home run hitters, as well as one of its easiest players to strike out. The Reds acquired him with reliever Zach Neal for Ariel Hernandez in April 2018. Isabel hit a Florida State Leaguerecord 35 home runs that year and led the Double-A Southern League with 26 home runs in 2019, but he also struck out a combined 314 times in those two seasons.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Isabel has top-of-the-scale raw power and can hit the ball out of any ballpark. He has plus bat speed, but with a lot of moving parts to his swing, he frequently swings through pitches in the strike zone and has a penchant for chasing pitches out of the zone. When he connects he hits gargantuan home runs, but his max-effort swing and its resulting holes are problematic. Once a butcher in the field, Isabel has grown coordinated enough to handle first base and has an average arm. He committed just one error in 414.1 innings at the position in 2019.
  
  THE FUTURE: Ibandel strikes out far too much to be a regular, but he might be an interesting power bat off the bench. He'll see Triple-A Louisville in 2020.