Jhon Torres

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked St. Louis Cardinals #30 prospect in 2022
  Track Record: Acquired by the Cardinals in July 2018 from Cleveland as part of the return for outfielder Oscar Mercado, Torres spent the 2019 season between the advanced Rookie-level Appalachian League and Low-A. He was not at the alternate training site in 2020 and struggled with a 2021 assignment at High-A Peoria, hitting .238/.302/.366 with six home runs in 97 games.
  
  Scouting Report: Torres is a good athlete with some power potential, but he struggles to make contact due to timing issues and length in his swing. He needs to improve his plate discipline and pitch recognition skills, which are below-average. Torres is an average runner and an average defender in the corner outfield with an average arm, but scouts are concerned with his ability to hit enough to profile there.
  
  The Future: Torres was not added to the Cardinals 40-man roster following the 2021 season. He’s in line to make his upper-minors debut in 2022, but his time in the organization could be running out.
  
• 
  Ranked St. Louis Cardinals #18 prospect in 2021
  TRACK RECORD: The Indians signed Torres out of Colombia for $150,000 and watched him quickly fill out and blossom. St. Louis picked him up along with Conner Capel in a deal that sent Oscar Mercado to the Indians in 2018. Torres struggled in 2019 with an aggressive jump to low Class A Peoria, but he was one of the better prospects in the Appalachian League after a midseason demotion. With a 60-player roster limit, Torres was not part of the Cardinals' alternate training site.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Torres could develop plus power one day if he can learn to get into better counts and pounce on juicy pitches. He will likely always have some swing and miss, even on hittable pitches, because he has timing issues. Torres is an average runner, and an above-average defender in the corner outfield spots with an above-average arm. He has solid athleticism to go with his developing strength.
  
  THE FUTURE: Torres is Rule 5 eligible even before he's established himself in full-season ball. The tools are there to be a well-rounded player, but like many prospects he'll need to add plate discipline and pitch recognition to get to his potential.
• 
  Ranked St. Louis Cardinals #15 prospect in 2020
  TRACK RECORD: Torres signed with the Indians for $150,000 in 2016 and emerged as a rising prospect in their system. The Cardinals acquired him and outfielder Conner Capel at the 2018 trade deadline in exchange for Oscar Mercado. Torres struggled after the Cardinals pushed him to low Class A Peoria to open the 2019 season, but he flourished after dropping down to Rookie-level Johnson City.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Torres stands an imposing 6-foot-4 with long levers and flashes quality at-bats. He makes loud contact when he connects and has the bat speed, strength and leverage to grow into above-average power. Torres has the physical tools to hit for a solid average, but he is prone to chasing out of the strike zone and is still learning to pick out which pitches he can drive. He is a deceptively good right fielder who gets anticipates well, gets good jumps and takes proper angles to the ball. He has a plus arm.
  
  THE FUTURE: Torres has the tools of a prototypical right fielder. He will return to Peoria in 2020.
• 
  Ranked St. Louis Cardinals #19 prospect in 2019
  Track Record: The Cardinals took note of Torres playing for Colombia's 15U national team at the Pan-American Championships in Mexico in 2015, but had limited interest in the very tall, very skinny, very raw outfielder. Torres signed with the Indians for $150,000 a year later and suddenly filled out, becoming bigger, stronger and faster. He made his U.S. debut in 2018 and quickly became a favorite of scouts in the Rookie-level Arizona League, and the Cardinals acquired him and outfielder Conner Capel for Oscar Mercado at the trade deadline.
  
  Scouting Report: The 6-foot-4, 199-pound Torres has blossomed into a prototypical power-hitting right fielder. He is patient with a mature approach, and when he gets his pitch he unloads with plus raw power to all fields. Torres is more slugger than hitter, but he has the feel for the barrel to make his power play and projects to hit for a solid average. Torres is a decent athlete for his size as an average runner who is light on his feet and gets good jumps. His biggest weapon is his arm, a 70-grade hose from right field.
  
  The Future: Torres projects to a corner, so there will always be pressure on his bat. He's handled it so far and will aim to continue at low Class A Peoria in 2019.

Minor League Top Prospects

• 
  Ranked National League #4 prospect in 2019
  Signed by the Indians, Torres joined the Cardinals in the 2018 trade that sent Oscar Mercado to Cleveland. After dominating the complex Rookie-level leagues in 2018, Torres was assigned to the Midwest League in mid-May but hit just .167 and was demoted to the Appy League a month later. Torres rebounded to turn in one of the best offensive seasons by a teenager in the Appy League. He clubbed six home runs and nine doubles. A physical, corner outfielder with plus raw power, Torres also showed solid on-base skills and pitch recognition with a 14 percent walk rate. However, scouts believe Torres will need to continue refining this part of his game and be more selective in picking pitches on which he can inflict damage to more consistently tap into his power. Torres is definitely a corner outfielder, but despite average speed at best, he moves well, gets good jumps off the bat and runs solid routes in addition to having plus arm strength.
• 
  Ranked Arizona Complex League #2 prospect in 2018
  Arizona League scouts regarded Torres as one of the most improved players from early in the spring to the mid-season of the Arizona League, at which point the 18-year-old outfielder from Colombia was included as one of two minor league players traded to St. Louis in the deal for big league outfielder Oscar Mercado. His prospect stock continued that trajectory with a very strong performance for the Cardinals’ Gulf Coast League team. A prototypical, power-hitting right fielder with good makeup, Torres projects to have above-average power and a plus arm while his bat speed and strength allow him to have all-fields power. He should be able to add even more strength to his athletic, live body. The biggest key to Torres’ in-season improvement was that he controlled the zone better and started making better contact, although he struggled with breaking balls from righthanders.
• 
  Ranked Florida Complex League #6 prospect in 2018
  The Indians dealt Torres and outfielder Conner Capel to the Cardinals for outfielder Oscar Mercado at the trade deadline. Torres earned rave reviews from scouts who saw him in the Rookie-level Arizona League, with that praise only getting louder after he arrived in the GCL. Torres has a tall, physical build and flashes plus raw power, with the bat speed and strength to drive the ball with impact. Torres sticks out for his power, but he also has a knack for being on time and staying within the strike zone. With fringy speed, Torres moves well for his size and reads the ball well off the bat in right field, where his arm earns plus or better grades.

• December, 2021 Scouting Report
  Track Record: Acquired by the Cardinals in July 2018 from Cleveland as part of the return for outfielder Oscar Mercado, Torres spent the 2019 season between the advanced Rookie-level Appalachian League and Low-A. He was not at the alternate training site in 2020 and struggled with a 2021 assignment at High-A Peoria, hitting .238/.302/.366 with six home runs in 97 games.
  
  Scouting Report: Torres is a good athlete with some power potential, but he struggles to make contact due to timing issues and length in his swing. He needs to improve his plate discipline and pitch recognition skills, which are below-average. Torres is an average runner and an average defender in the corner outfield with an average arm, but scouts are concerned with his ability to hit enough to profile there.
  
  The Future: Torres was not added to the Cardinals 40-man roster following the 2021 season. He’s in line to make his upper-minors debut in 2022, but his time in the organization could be running out.
  
• July, 2021 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: The Indians signed Torres out of Colombia for $150,000 and watched him quickly fill out and blossom. St. Louis picked him up along with Conner Capel in a deal that sent Oscar Mercado to the Indians in 2018. Torres struggled in 2019 with an aggressive jump to low Class A Peoria, but he was one of the better prospects in the Appalachian League after a midseason demotion. With a 60-player roster limit, Torres was not part of the Cardinals' alternate training site.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Torres could develop plus power one day if he can learn to get into better counts and pounce on juicy pitches. He will likely always have some swing and miss, even on hittable pitches, because he has timing issues. Torres is an average runner, and an above-average defender in the corner outfield spots with an above-average arm. He has solid athleticism to go with his developing strength.
  
  THE FUTURE: Torres is Rule 5 eligible even before he's established himself in full-season ball. The tools are there to be a well-rounded player, but like many prospects he'll need to add plate discipline and pitch recognition to get to his potential.
• March, 2021 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: The Indians signed Torres out of Colombia for $150,000 and watched him quickly fill out and blossom. St. Louis picked him up along with Conner Capel in a deal that sent Oscar Mercado to the Indians in 2018. Torres struggled in 2019 with an aggressive jump to low Class A Peoria, but he was one of the better prospects in the Appalachian League after a midseason demotion. With a 60-player roster limit, Torres was not part of the Cardinals' alternate training site.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Torres could develop plus power one day if he can learn to get into better counts and pounce on juicy pitches. He will likely always have some swing and miss, even on hittable pitches, because he has timing issues. Torres is an average runner, and an above-average defender in the corner outfield spots with an above-average arm. He has solid athleticism to go with his developing strength.
  
  THE FUTURE: Torres is Rule 5 eligible even before he's established himself in full-season ball. The tools are there to be a well-rounded player, but like many prospects he'll need to add plate discipline and pitch recognition to get to his potential.
• December, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: The Indians signed Torres out of Colombia for $150,000 and watched him quickly fill out and blossom. St. Louis picked him up along with Conner Capel in a deal that sent Oscar Mercado to the Indians in 2018. Torres struggled in 2019 with an aggressive jump to low Class A Peoria, but he was one of the better prospects in the Appalachian League after a midseason demotion. With a 60-player roster limit, Torres was not part of the Cardinals' alternate training site.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Torres could develop plus power one day if he can learn to get into better counts and pounce on juicy pitches. He will likely always have some swing and miss, even on hittable pitches, because he has timing issues. Torres is an average runner, and an above-average defender in the corner outfield spots with an above-average arm. He has solid athleticism to go with his developing strength.
  
  THE FUTURE: Torres is Rule 5 eligible even before he's established himself in full-season ball. The tools are there to be a well-rounded player, but like many prospects he'll need to add plate discipline and pitch recognition to get to his potential.
• July, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: Torres signed with the Indians for $150,000 in 2016 and emerged as a rising prospect in their system, leading the Cardinals to acquire him with outfielder Conner Capel at the 2018 trade deadline for Oscar Mercado. Torres struggled after the Cardinals pushed him to low Class A Peoria to open the 2019 season, but he flourished after dropping down to Rookie-level Johnson City.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Torres stands an imposing 6-foot-4 with long levers and flashes quality at-bats. He makes loud contact when he connects and has the bat speed, strength and leverage to grow into above-average power. Torres has the physical tools to hit for a solid average, but he is prone to chasing out of the strike zone and is still learning to pick out which pitches he can drive. He is a deceptively good right fielder who gets anticipates well, gets good jumps and takes proper angles to the ball. He has a plus arm.
  
  THE FUTURE: Torres has the tools of a prototypical right fielder. He will return to Peoria in 2020. BA GRADE 45 Risk: Medium BA GRADE 55 Risk: Extreme
• February, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: Torres signed with the Indians for $150,000 in 2016 and emerged as a rising prospect in their system. The Cardinals acquired him and outfielder Conner Capel at the 2018 trade deadline in exchange for Oscar Mercado. Torres struggled after the Cardinals pushed him to low Class A Peoria to open the 2019 season, but he flourished after dropping down to Rookie-level Johnson City.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Torres stands an imposing 6-foot-4 with long levers and flashes quality at-bats. He makes loud contact when he connects and has the bat speed, strength and leverage to grow into above-average power. Torres has the physical tools to hit for a solid average, but he is prone to chasing out of the strike zone and is still learning to pick out which pitches he can drive. He is a deceptively good right fielder who gets anticipates well, gets good jumps and takes proper angles to the ball. He has a plus arm.
  
  THE FUTURE: Torres has the tools of a prototypical right fielder. He will return to Peoria in 2020.
• December, 2018 Scouting Report
  Signed by the Indians, Torres joined the Cardinals in the 2018 trade that sent Oscar Mercado to Cleveland. After dominating the complex Rookie-level leagues in 2018, Torres was assigned to the Midwest League in mid-May but hit just .167 and was demoted to the Appy League a month later. Torres rebounded to turn in one of the best offensive seasons by a teenager in the Appy League. He clubbed six home runs and nine doubles. A physical, corner outfielder with plus raw power, Torres also showed solid on-base skills and pitch recognition with a 14 percent walk rate. However, scouts believe Torres will need to continue refining this part of his game and be more selective in picking pitches on which he can inflict damage to more consistently tap into his power. Torres is definitely a corner outfielder, but despite average speed at best, he moves well, gets good jumps off the bat and runs solid routes in addition to having plus arm strength.