Oswaldo Cabrera

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked New York Yankees #8 prospect in 2022
  Track Record: Cabrera signed with the Yankees in 2015 and slowly wound his way through the system. He always made plenty of contact but failed to produce much power. That changed in 2021. He relocated to Tampa during the coronavirus shutdown and added strength and power to his game. His hard work paid off with 29 home runs in 2021 between Double-A and Triple-A and a .272/.330/.553 overall slash line.
  
  Scouting Report: Cabrera has gained 55 pounds since signing and has become visibly stronger and more filled out. He has increased his average exit velocity by 5 mph jump over the past two seasons and also begun putting the ball in the air more. He’s accomplished that while maintaining his excellent bat-to-ball skills, giving him a chance to hit for both average power. Cabrera has slowed down as he’s filled out and is now a below-average runner. He can play shortstop in a pinch but is better suited for a utility role in which he sees time at second and third base. He has the potential to be an above-average or plus defender at either of the latter two positions with his solid hands and actions and above-average arm strength.
  
  The Future: He will likely start the 2022 season back at Triple-A. If he can maintain his improvements, he could make his major league debut during the season.
  
• 
  Ranked New York Yankees #26 prospect in 2018
  When the Yankees signed Cabrera out of Venezuela two Julys ago, he was extremely skinny at 5-foot-10 and 145 pounds. Since then he's grown two inches and added nearly 50 pounds, turning a frail frame into something slightly more imposing. The Yankees believe in his ability to hit and have assigned him aggressively throughout his short career. He spent just 26 combined games in complex-level leagues before moving to Rookie-level Pulaski, where he was one of just six 17-year-olds in the league and was just two weeks older than the league's youngest player, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. He opened this year with low Class A Charleston, where he was the youngest player, before moving to short-season Staten Island at midseason and then back to Charleston a few weeks later. He didn't tear the cover off the ball at either stop, but he made the strides the Yankees wanted to see. Specifically, he worked on improving his rhythm and timing at the plate and getting himself in a better position to hit. New York's hitting coaches worked with Cabrera to incorporate his hips more into his swing rather than trying to create with his hands and upper body. He moved around the infield all year and has the range and hands to play at second base and the arm to play at third base as well, though his below-average power would be more appropriate up the middle. He's also shown a quick release and a strong sense of timing in the field. He's a tick below-average on the bases now, and there are concerns about him slowing down as he gets older.

Minor League Top Prospects

• 
  Ranked New York-Penn League #16 prospect in 2017
  As an 18-year-old, Cabrera was one of the youngest players in the league, but he more than survived thanks to a his bat-to-ball skills and advanced understanding of when to swing and when to take. Managers and scouts felt confident about Cabrera's ability to hit for average and get on base. The switch-hitter produced professional at-bats from both sides of the plate and showed a very even temperament, rarely taking a tough at-bat with him when he went back into the field. Scouts are concerned that Cabrera's tools are more modest than his work ethic and feel for the game. He has excellent hands and a great internal clock, but he has below-average foot speed that limits his range at shortstop or second and his average arm.

• April, 2022 Scouting Report
  BA Grade: 50/High
  
  Midseason Update: Cabrera, who broke out in 2021 after adding plenty of strength to his frame and adjusting his approach to get more balls in the air, has been on the IL since the middle of May with a shoulder impingement. He began a rehab assignment on July 4 at Low-A Tampa.
  
  Track Record: Cabrera was signed by the Yankees way back in 2015 and slowly wound his way through the system. He always made plenty of contact but failed to produce much in the way of impact. That changed in 2021. He relocated to Tampa for the 2020 season and added strength and power to his game. His hard work paid off, and his 29 home runs in 2021 eclipsed his overall career total by seven and tied him for second in the organization behind Dermis Garcia.
  
  Scouting Report: Cabrera&#39s transformation centers around the strength he gained since the shutdown. Overall, he gained 55 pounds since signing. He showed up to minor league spring training visibly stronger and more filled out, and the results followed. The ball jumped off his bat in ways it never had before, including a 5 mph jump in average exit velocity over the past two seasons. Cabrera also changed his batted ball profile to lean more toward getting the ball in the air than in any of his previous seasons. He maintained his excellent bat-to-ball skills—his swinging-strike rate was just 13% at Double-A—while exponentially increasing his impact. His bigger body has led to a bit of a slowdown on the bases and in the field. Those changes are likely to keep him from playing shortstop—he&#39ll still be able to play there in a pinch—and move him into more of a super utility role in which he could see time at second and third base. He has the potential to be an above-average or plus defender at either of the latter two positions.
  
  The Future: A year ago, Cabrera was part of a host of Yankees farmhands who were left unprotected for the Rule 5 draft and then showed up renewed for 2021. He will likely start the season back at Triple-A.
  
  Scouting Grades: Hit: 40. Power: 50. Speed: 40. Fielding: 60. Arm: 55.
• December, 2021 Scouting Report
  Track Record: Cabrera signed with the Yankees in 2015 and slowly wound his way through the system. He always made plenty of contact but failed to produce much power. That changed in 2021. He relocated to Tampa during the coronavirus shutdown and added strength and power to his game. His hard work paid off with 29 home runs in 2021 between Double-A and Triple-A and a .272/.330/.553 overall slash line.
  
  Scouting Report: Cabrera has gained 55 pounds since signing and has become visibly stronger and more filled out. He has increased his average exit velocity by 5 mph jump over the past two seasons and also begun putting the ball in the air more. He’s accomplished that while maintaining his excellent bat-to-ball skills, giving him a chance to hit for both average power. Cabrera has slowed down as he’s filled out and is now a below-average runner. He can play shortstop in a pinch but is better suited for a utility role in which he sees time at second and third base. He has the potential to be an above-average or plus defender at either of the latter two positions with his solid hands and actions and above-average arm strength.
  
  The Future: He will likely start the 2022 season back at Triple-A. If he can maintain his improvements, he could make his major league debut during the season.
  
• July, 2021 Scouting Report
  Cabrera emerged from the shutdown a much stronger player, and the results have shown on the field since minor league spring training. His 12 homers so far this season are four more than his previous season-high, and he continues to show the versatility to play around the infield.