Skip to main content

Prospect Nation 2013: #19 OF Ender Inciarte

Swift footed outfielder Ender Inciarte was picked up by the Phillies this past December in the MLB Rule 5 draft. The lefty batting Venezuelan looked extremely promising in his days in the Diamondbacks system, which drew the interest of the Phils.

Signed as a amateur free agent in 2008, Inciarte began his professional career in the Dominican Summer League, batting .300 with minimal power (seven doubles were his only extra-base hits) while stealing 22 bases in 28 opportunities in 62 games.

The 5-foot-11-inch 160-pounder then moved on to the rookie level Pioneer League, where he batted .325 with 14 doubles, a triple and a homer in 66 contests for Missoula in 2009. He also stole 10 bases in 14 chances. The following year, Inciarte split time at low A and full season Class A, posting a .229 average with 13 doubles, seven triples and one home run while utilizing his speed even less, swiping seven in 12 chances.

In 2011, Inciarte spent the entire season with Class A South Bend of the Midwest League and continued to make progress. At the age of 20, he sported a .262/.333/.333 line with 26 steals, but was caught 15 times.

Last season, Inciarte looked like the offensive side of his game was really coming along, as he split time with South Bend and the Class A Advanced Visalia Rawhide. In 127 games, Inciarte posted a .307 batting average along with 28 doubles, 10 triples, two home runs and 46 steals in 58 chances. In addition to the improvements he made with his average and speed production, Inciarte also increased his walk rate and his OPS a considerable amount as well.

Compared, at times, to Gerardo Parra, who was held in considerable regard in his days as an Arizona prospect, Inciarte's small frame does not project to develop very much power.

Inciarte's bat will still need time to develop, as evidenced by his output in the Venezuelan League. He posted a .250/.315/.313 line in 48 games with Zulia, where he was teammates with Phils infielder Freddy Galvis.

Big league Rule 5 picks must stay on the team's 25-man big league roster for the entire following season, or be offered back to their previous organization. With a surplus of potential outfielders, Inciarte will likely find himself as the odd man out, since the Phillies have six other players for what is likely five big league roster spots for their outfield. It is possible that, all along, the Phillies did not expect Inciarte to make their opening day roster and simply had hopes that when he is offered back to Arizona they would reject him, much like the way the Phils' return offer of Rule 5 selection Shane Victorino was declined by the Dodgers in 2005.

On defense, Inciarte, who has spent considerable time at all three outfield positions as a pro, has great instincts and exceptional range with an ability to cover loads of land. If he did beat the odds and land on the Phillies roster this year, he could be a late inning defensive replacement and a reliable pinch runner.

The 22-year-old remains a player with a whole lot of upside and could make an impact in the organization, if the Phillies can hang onto him.


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Slick fielding Sam is the Champion of the (PhoulBallz) world!

Phillies Ball(z)girl Sam Arnone was kind enough to answer some questions for the PhoulBallz site and all of you. Sam will be entering her 3rd season as a Phillies ballgirl and is a junior at Drexel University. Sam hails from the great town of Mt. Ephram, NJ. 1- Since the Phillies are the World Champions of baseball teams, are the Phillies ballgirls the world champions of ballgirl teams? - Of Course!!! There are not that many teams that have Ballgirls, so the competition is a little scarce. I would definitely put my team up against any other Ballgirl team with full confidence! 2- What is your routine to prepare for a day of on-field duties? - Before a game, I am always a little nervous. Once I am ready to leave my house and head to the ballpark I triple check my bag to make sure I have my glove and then I check again. I always have a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on wheat because it keeps me full and gives me energy for the entire game. I guess I might have to find a new favorite sa

Bubby Rossman's long awaited MLB debut

Eight years after he initially signed a professional contract with the Dodgers and a five-year stretch playing away from affiliated ball, Bubby Rossman became a major leaguer on Wednesday. Added as a substitute for pitcher Kyle Gibson, who is restricted from travel to Canada for the Phillies' series in Toronto, due to his medical inability to be vaccinated from COVID-19, Rossman took the mound for the first time in the majors. Rossman, who was a 22nd round draft selection in 2014 had pitched in 200 professional games before his one-inning outing in the Phillies' 8-2 loss to the Blue Jays. In 27 appearances with Double-A Reading this year, the 30-year-old right-hander has performed well, tallying a 2-2 record with a save, a 3.32 ERA and a .200 batting average against.   The embedded video below features a media session with Rossman from prior to opening day this year, in which the California native discusses his journey through independent baseball and back to affiliated ball wi

2021 Phillies Top Prospects Countdown: #22 SS Casey Martin

Please visit Patreon.com/PhoulBallz in order to support my work, get access to material like this before anyone else and get access to interviews as well as other exclusive content you can't get anywhere else.   A third round draft pick last year, Arkansas junior Casey Martin was quickly signed by the Phillies and consideration as one of the organization's top infield prospects quickly began.  The team's confidence in his ceiling is likely evident in the signing bonus he got, which was reportedly $1.3 million, which was considerably more than slot money dictated by his 87th overall draft position ($685K). The right-handed batting Martin tallied a .311/.393/.545 slash line with 30 homers, 24 steals and 112 RBI in 143 games through his college career at Arkansas.  Reports had him falling in the draft as a result of an injury to the hamate bone in his left hand prior to his 2020 season.  Prior to the procedure, Baseball America projected Martin as a top ten draft pick.