2019 MLB Preliminary Examination Report: Nick Quintana, Tigers 2nd Round Pick

We miss recent memory when we are looking for an example of such a preordained project at the top as this season has become. When the Detroit Tigers picked Riley Greene with their first-round pick, this did not surprise anyone and completed a series of five choices to open the night that went exactly as everyone was sure to do.

Greene is an excellent prospect, but this kind of rough day scenario offers very little intrigue. Fortunately, the baseball gods are an excitable group, and things became much more interesting at the end of the first round and the beginning of the second. Rumors circulating that the Tigers were seriously looking for college bats, most speculation was that they would choose a first division player in the middle. Rumors that a college player would have caught the eye of Detroit have materialized, but the choice ended in Nick Quintana, a player who was not mentioned as a target by (m) person covering 'team.

At first glance, the choice seems to be a little difficult, as Quintana already figured in some preliminary design rankings. But what reveals a closer examination?

Profile

Position: 3B
School: Arizona
Project day: 21
MLB pipeline pipeline provisional ranking: 77th
Previously written: 2016, 11th round

Strengths

The main advantage of Quintana lies in its ability to legitimately influence the game on both sides of the ball. He was a well-known hope as a preparatory player, a stop in high school that many considered a second baseman. He is now a third base player – a transition from the moment he arrived in Arizona. Since he made this defensive change, he has made tremendous progress with his glovework work. Once considered a defensive liability, he is now widely regarded as a potential player. This is testament to his outstanding work ethic and work aptitude, two proposals that praised the preparation.

Quintana also compliments his defensive work with an excellent arm for the job. It combines the strength of the arms with the ability to make accurate throws during the race. Moreover, he often applauded for his irreproachable instinct. He plays with confidence and takes a quick first step in helping him overcome a distance and speed of unimpressive racing. The sum of these games is a very good defensive third base player.

His greatest strength, however, is his power in the batting area. This is the big draw here: Nick Quintana can really get there. His numbers with the Wildcats are pretty impressive; hit .346 / .469 / .630 on the season. An impressive 43.06% of its tubes were used for additional bases. These figures correspond to an isolated mark of .284, or, really well.

The evaluators believe that, although he will not continue to strike like Ted Williams as a professional, the tools are there to support good offensive performances. FanGraphs calls Quintana a "powerful athletic swinger" and Baseball America notes that "above-average gross power" strengthens his game. The corner player gets his power with good bat speed – not massive musculature. which encourages scouts to maintain their power and to improve what they have already shown once under professional training.

In short, Quintana has a lot of pop, which could make him an average hitter at the highest level if everything matches.

weaknesses

Quintana is not a fast runner and this is the most striking blow on the physical part of his profile. As we discussed earlier, it does not hurt much of his defensive action at the third goal, but that's what got him to the fore. Not agile enough to play short, do not expect to see him beat too many balls on the ground, either. It's just not fast enough.

Fortunately, the evaluators do not give much importance to his race speed or his absence. It's not like he's going to stop the show with painfully long times. The expected performance of Quintana should not be affected by this gap at all. Sluggers are rarely very fast at first, and their reflexes should be more than enough to make up for the lack in this area.

The biggest problem is his propensity to feel puffs in the hitting surface. Quintana is tied to a three-year, 20.03% barrage rate in Arizona – a modest rate by today's MLB standards, but higher than an advanced college star would expect. This is a problem that stems from its sometimes overly optimistic approach, according to MLB Pipeline. Although its low speed may not be a long-term obstacle, this is true.

Because Quintana relies on his power to make an offensive contribution. This power is a real threat when it comes into contact, that's what made it write. It goes without saying, however, that his power is totally neutralized when he can not put the stick on the ball. This is a problem for which the Detroit development staff will work with him from day one.

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