Arizona Diamondbacks Breakout Candidate: Jorge Barrosa, OF

There are few player profiles that have benefitted more from the recent player development revolution in MLB than speedy undersized contact hitters with unassuming power. Success stories such as Jose Altuve and José Ramírez have taught us to open our minds to players that might not fit the bill of what traditional impact hitters look like.

Corbin Carroll is one Arizona Diamondbacks prospect that fits this profile to a tee and has been admired by team officials and fans alike ever since he was drafted. But there’s another prospect in the system that also fits this profile but doesn’t get much attention. Jorge Barrosa is another centerfielder in the Diamondbacks organization who, while not as explosive or toolsy as Carroll, has a lot of positive attributes similar to Carroll that give him some breakout potential for 2022.

Overview

Barrosa is a 21-year-old switch-hitter originally signed out of Venezuela in 2017 by the Diamondbacks. He is relatively undersized, listed at 5’9″ and 165 lbs. His offensive calling card is his premium contact ability/plate discipline combo. He plays plus defense in center field, showing good routes and the ability to cover ground quickly. He’s also shown base stealing ability, though his lack of power so far has been apparent. His defensive prowess at a premium position is a boost to his overall profile even in terms of fantasy, as it will continue to earn him playing time.

2021 Statline

Level	AB	Runs	RBI	HR	SB	AVG	BABIP	OBP	SLG	OPS	DRC+
Low-A	147	30	16	3	9	.333	.404	.389	.449	.838	111
High-A	242	41	21	4	20	.256	.304	.332	.405	.737	110

Barrosa held his own in 2021 playing as a 20-year-old at both Low-A and High-A, where the league average ages are 21 and 22 years old, respectively. While the slashline stats at High-A look more muted than his work at Low-A, DRC+ likes what he did at both levels roughly the same, as he played about 10% better than league average in terms of offensive production. DRC+ appears to be accounting for the pitcher-friendly park factors of High-A Hillsboro, which likely contributed to Barrosa’s reduction in power.

Though minor league stolen base totals are notoriously unreliable for projecting future steals, his 74% success rate at High-A seems to validate his high base running IQ. Additionally, the speed he shows in the field instills confidence in his stolen base efficiency and totals as sustainable moving forward (see the clip below).

Watch how much ground #Dbacks CF prospect Jorge Barrosa covers to make this catch at the wall for Brandon Pfaadt

He also stole 29 bases in 2021. Dude can scoot! 🛴 pic.twitter.com/ys0ftq7gfT

— Doug Otto (@hdouglasotto) February 28, 2022

Plate Discipline

Level	BB%	K%	SwStr%	Contact%
Low-A	4.3%	19.0%	11.8%	80.2%
High-A	8.1%	17.6%	9.5%	78.9%

As I mentioned before, Barrosa’s plate discipline skills may be the most impressive aspect of his game at present, and they seem to have improved in 2021. After moving up to High-A, he nearly doubled his walk rate while striking out less and maintaining an excellent contact rate. While he could still stand to walk a bit more, his strikeout rate was almost 10 percentage points lower than the High-A average (26.6%) and his contact rates were 10 percentage points higher than the High-A average (68.9%), indicating the potential for a plus hit tool.

Batted Ball Profile

Level	GB%	LD%	FB%	HR/FB%
Low-A	50.0%	26.7%	11.8%	11.1%
High-A	41.9%	18.3%	39.8%	5.3%

Another positive development upon his promotion to High-A was his reduction in ground balls to achieve a more balanced batted-ball profile. Despite lofting the ball more, Barrosa’s home run per fly ball rate was cut in half to a paltry 5.3%. This was likely a result of his home park environment at Hillsboro, which sees 24% fewer home runs on average compared to other parks. Without Statcast data, it’s difficult to know how hard he really hits the ball. Regardless, this data suggests that his home run total at High-A was artificially deflated and that he may have a good amount of power yet untapped.

Jorge Barrosa pulls his yard card pic.twitter.com/6AVD8zBYtp

— Hillsboro Hops (with a new hashtag) (@HillsboroHops) July 18, 2021

Conclusion

Barrosa is in a very interesting spot heading into 2022. He had an excellent 2021 season, particularly at High-A Hillsboro, where he proved he could handle competition beyond his years. He displays a well-rounded skillset bolstered by his contact and speed skills with lurking power beneath the surface. The Hillsboro park factors seem to have sapped some of his offensive production, particularly his power. Assuming he gets sent to AA Amarillo to start 2022, he could experience a rebound in power as Amarillo saw roughly 69% more home runs compared to other parks. If he can continue to hit the ball in the air at the rate he showed at High-A while maintaining quality plate discipline and contact skills, he could stand to get the most out of his power at AA.

The jump to AA will of course be a tough one, and it’s very possible he won’t get to his power as much as I am hoping against the more advanced pitchers he will face. But his contact skills and the fact that he performed very well despite his age gives me confidence that he can continue to develop into a fantasy-relevant player. I don’t think a 20/20 season or even a promotion to AAA as a 21-year-old is out of reach for Barrosa in 2022. Given his low cost of acquisition, he should be targeted in all dynasty formats with at least 150-200 prospects rostered.