Luis Almanzar

Seen by many as the second best prospect (behind Kevin Maitan) to sign during the 2016 July 2 international signing period, Almanzar, like Maitan, has yet to statistically make good on that evaluation. Of course, he was 17 years old and the second youngest hitter in the Northwest League, so it would have been shocking if he had been even a league-average hitter. The Padres decided Almanzar could handle such an aggressive assignment, while keeping other big-name hitters from that signing class like Jeisson Rosario and Tirso Ornelas back in the AZL. Even amidst his struggles, Almanzar showed the potential for above-average power and above-average speed. It is unclear if he will be able to stick at shortstop or be forced to move to third base. He struck out 29.5 percent of the time in the NWL, so continued struggles should be expected if he is sent to the Midwest League this season. If he starts to hit, his pedigree and tools will warrant widespread dynasty-league ownership.