Garabez Rosa

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Baltimore Orioles #27 prospect in 2010
  The Orioles were encouraged by the progress of Pedro Florimon last year, and they see a similar player in Rosa, who just completed his second season in the United States. He was sent to Delmarva to get a couple of weeks of game action but stepped down to Aberdeen when the New York-Penn League season opened. Rosa's defensive tools are the equal of any player's in the system, including Florimon, with outstanding hands and actions at shortstop. He has good range and a strong arm, though he plays out of control at times and committed 14 errors in 64 games at Aberdeen. His progression will depend on how he comes along with the bat. Rosa has a good body to go with a quick bat and strong hands. He has easy power, even to center field, and he can sting fastballs. He has trouble with pitch recognition, though, and can't handle breaking balls. He cheats on fastballs because he has no Plan B, so his focus is on making more contact. Rosa needs to refine pretty much every aspect of his game, but the tools are there to make a big leap. He'll open 2010 in low Class A.