In 10 words or fewer: Young slap hitter with good plate discipline and blazing speed.
Position: OF | Age (2016): 22
Bats: L | Throws: R
Height: 5’9″ | Weight: 170
2015 Rank: Unranked
OFFENSE
Contact – B. Ayendy has an unorthodox approach at the plate, which when unrefined can make it particularly difficult to make contact. And while Perez has seen nothing but success in the minors so far, I readily admit that his skill with the bat is unrefined and will need some polishing as he reaches the upper levels. He’s a left handed hitter that basically starts gunning it for 1B in the middle of his swing. It isn’t quite as accentuated as Ichiro, but is also more accentuated than the great slap hitter Wade Boggs. And that’s exactly what Ayendy is, a slap hitter. He doesn’t look to pull the ball or drive it over heads. He looks to hit it to the left side of the infield, finding holes, and beating the ball to first base. And he’s good at it.
Power – F. None whatsoever. The extra base hits he does collect are more a function of his speed.
Discipline – B+. This would’ve been an “A” at the lower levels, but as he’s climbed the ladder, we’ve watched his plate discipline go from elite to merely exceptional. Like any speedy leadoff type hitter, or slap hitter for that matter, Ayendy’s main goal is to reach base and wreak havoc with his legs, or at the very least, be a thorn in the pitcher’s side. He’s well above average in this department, frequently posting close to as many BB as K’s, and a strong career OBP of .385 thus far.
Speed – A. Ayendy’s home to first time is as fast as Mike Trout’s. And we’ve seen how frequently he beats out grounders to the left side. In order to gun out Trout, and Ayendy for that matter, on a ball hit to the infield, the fielder must not only charge the ball, but make a quick, strong, perfect throw to the bag. Ayendy is not as fast as Mike Trout, but he does possess similar quickness and has the benefit of swinging from the left side and is a step down the line before he even makes contact. It’s actually quite exciting, every time Perez steps to the plate. The infielders all cheat in, the outfielders as well, the pitcher is sweating bullets, holding the ball a little longer out of the stretch to see if Perez will show any indication of bunting, and will frequently speed up his delivery in an effort to be extra quick in fielding any bunt. This throws off their rhythm, and causes mistakes to be made, either in pitches to be hit or balls out of the zone which result in walks.
DEFENSE
Arm – C. While Perez will typically play CF, his arm grades out around average. He’s collected a ton of assists in his young career so far, but that’s mostly the result of constantly being challenged. The arm strength itself is above average for a LF and average for CF, but the accuracy is below average. All in all, he’s got an “ok” arm, that’s probably better suited for LF when he’s older.
Fielding – C. He seems to be an alright fielder, nothing special but certainly not deficient so far.
Range – B+. Perez does possess excellent range out in CF with a decently quick first step and above average closing speed. This would definitely grade out as an “A” if I weren’t so spoiled with Bourjos and Trout in the past few years. But make no mistake, Perez has well above average range in both CF and LF.
OVERALL
Performance – A. In his age 21 season, Ayendy successfully made the transition to A Ball and was spectacular, playing excellent defense in CF and being an absolute spark plug and terror on the bases for the Burlington Bees. He’s right at his age appropriate level and has positioned himself as one of the more exciting position players on this farm.
Projection – C. Ayendy’s current projection isn’t favorable. He isn’t strong enough to keep fielders honest and while he gets away with that because of his speed, this won’t always be the case with more advanced competition that includes better, faster fielders with stronger arms. As a result, he doesn’t project to be anything more than a 4th OF, that is a decent defensive replacement and one of the better pinch runners in the game. That still holds a ton of value to a team like that Angels that’s been without a good one for years. If Ayendy can build a bit more muscle, he could carve out a major league career similar to Rajai Davis, who isn’t completely a full time player but usually logs 400 plate appearances a year and gets into every game for speed and defense even when he isn’t starting.
What to expect in 2016 – We should see Ayendy in the Cal League this next year for his age 22 season, sharing an OF with Pierson and Sanger. I expect he’ll be a little challenged by the advancement in pitching, but for the most part should handle the transition well.
Most Likely Scenario – Ayendy’s strength never develops to the degree necessary for a starting role in the majors, and his plate discipline grows into more of a slightly above average tool in AA and AAA. His BA suffers as a result of increased quality of fielders, but he makes up for it with defensive refinement and better selectivity on the basepaths. He’ll eventually be promoted to the majors and serve as a 4th OF and depth OF in AAA as well.
Grade as a Prospect – C+. Anytime you can hit over .300, post an OBP over .380, pace yourself for 60+ SB in a full season and do it all at a reasonably young age, you’re doing something right. Consider Ayendy an above average prospect.
Estimated Time of Arrival – 2019. There are still adjustments to be made, but I expect to see him break in as a speed threat in the late innings around his 24th or 25th birthday.
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