No. 16. Freddy Valdez, OF
B/T: R/R Age: 12/6/2001 (18)
Height: 6’3″ Weight: 212 lbs
Acquired: Signed as International Free Agent July 2, 2018 (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic)
ETA: 2024 Previous Rank: 21
2019 Stats: (DSL Mets 1/GCL Mets) .274/.367/.448, 16 2B, 6 HR, 39 RBI, 18.1% K, 11.5% BB, 124 wRC+
Signed for a $1.45 million dollar bonus in 2018 at the age of 16, Valdez was consistently ranked among the top 30 International Free Agents in his draft year. When Valdez was originally signed, he had a notable profile as a power right-handed hitter. Throughout the 2019 season, Valdez showed a bit more to his game, meriting a late promotion to the Gulf Coast League, and even winning the Sterling DSL Hitter of the Year award.
While Valdez didn’t exactly show the power that was expected of him, for a 17-year-old he still put up a .174 ISO for the year. As we know, power is a late tool in development, and more should come as Valdez gets more comfortable at the plate. On the subject of comfort at the plate, it seems that Valdez was able to balance out what was originally considered a wild swing. Valdez held a respectable 18.1% K-rate in 2019 as well as showing patience at the plate, walking at an 11.5% rate. Nevertheless, as expected, his swing was pull-heavy as he pulled over half of all balls he put in play. At over 53% for the year, Valdez’ pull rate would have been at the top of 2019’s MLB rankings.
Valdez also held solid splits at the plate in 2019, and even hit all six of his home runs against same-handed pitchers. Here’s how his splits looked:
VS RHP: 220 PA, .267/.359/.444
VS LHP: 50 PA, .302/.400/.465
Furthermore, Valdez showed the ability to improve as the season went on. In his last 27 games (7/18 – 8/29) in 116 plate appearances, Valdez hit .289/.397/.505, and even had a .916 OPS for the month of August, which included a three-day stint in the Gulf Coast League where he ended the season on a 3-for-4 night with a walk, a double and a home run (he was also intentionally walked in the game). The hitting ability shown by Valdez is encouraging for all those interested in his development.
Where Valdez remained the same is that he is still a below-average runner. Despite hitting three triples and stealing six bases (caught twice), Valdez just isn’t fleet of foot. Nonetheless, Valdez makes the most of what he does have, despite not having a great first step. Valdez is said to have had a decent year out in right field, a trend we hope continues. With an arm rated as a plus tool, the Mets are hopeful that his defense is stable enough in the future to keep him in the outfield. Worst case scenario, it does appear that the designated hitter will be making its way to the national league sometime in the future.
As it stands, Valdez is one of the more intriguing outfielders in the Mets system and could easily take another step forward on this list with his power potential coming through in 2020 as it did late in 2019.
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