Skip to main content

2019 Phillies Prospects Countdown: #13 SS Arquimedes Gamboa

Gamboa with Lakewood in 2017, image- Jay Floyd
This year, shortstop Arquimedes Gamboa makes his first appearance on this countdown.  While the Venezuela native's statistics don't necessarily back up claims that he's among the Phillies' top prospects, his skill set is prevalent and he has steadily impressed many with his talent.

Signed as an international free agent in 2014 at age 16, he participated that same year in the Florida Instructional League.

The following year, he made his professional regular season debut with the short-season Rookie level Gulf Coast League Phillies.  In 50 games there, the switch-hitter notched a .189 batting average with seven doubles, three triples, 16 RBI and eight stolen bases,

Another short-season campaign was in store for Gamboa in 2016 as he batted .200 with Class A Williamsport.  In 35 games there, he tallied six doubles, two home runs and five steals.

Gamboa took the step up to full-season A level Lakewood for the 2017 season. 

He missed time that season with a hamstring issue, but the average would climb quite a bit and eyes would begin to truly open regarding the six-foot 185-pounder.  In 79 games, Gamboa posted a .261 average with 12 doubles, three triples, six home runs, 29 RBI and eight stolen bases.

Last year, Gamboa moved up to Class A Advanced Clearwater, where he enjoyed a good first half and saw his production take a dip in the second half of the season.  In 59 first half contests, he sported a .261 average with 11 doubles, three triples, a homer and 20 RBI.  In 55 second half games, Gamboa batted .163 with three doubles, a triples, a homer and 17 RBI.

In the autumn months, Gamboa played with the Scorpions in the Arizona Fall League.  In 20 games there he batted .186 with two doubles, three RBI and two stolen bases.

Defense is where Gamboa will often shine the most.  He has great range and a plus arm that help him look impressive in the field.

Bat speed is a quality that stands out for Gamboa.  His ceiling may be as an average offensive contributor, but with his great ability to man a premium position, he could become an attractive addition to dozens of big league clubs.  In fact, I once overheard a scout from a particular American League powerhouse organization raving about Gamboa.

Quickness on the bases is a strength for the youngster who should be able to swipe more bags at the higher levels of the sport. 

The Phillies clearly see a bright future for the 21-year-old, as they added him to their 40-man roster in order to protect him from December's Rule 5 draft.  Gamboa should have time at the Double-A level in his future this year.

Track this year's complete Phillies top prospects countdown by clicking this link

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Stats to Ponder: Jimmy Rollins Edition

J-Roll has batted under .200 for a calendar month twice in his career. In April 2004, Rollins went 13-for-71, for a .183 average. The following month, Rollins went 30-for-107, which is a .280 average. And in August 2005, Rollins went 22-for-117, for a .188 average. The month that followed saw Rollins go 49-for-122 for a .402 average. Rollins is batting .171 so far in May 2009. Improvement is not far away for Jimmy. The Phillies are 10-2 in games this year which Rollins scores at least 1 run. The Phillies are 4-12 in games which Rollins does not score. Jimmy Rollins in 6 games against the Braves this year is batting .071 (2-for-28). In 2008 Rollins batted .284 against the Braves in 18 games. In 2007 Rollins batted .347 against the Braves in 18 games. In 2006 Rollins batted .367 against the Braves in 18 games. Jimmy Milestone Watch: 6 more RBI and Rollins will tie Scott Rolen for 25th all time in Phillies RBI leaders. 7 more triples and Rollins will tie Richie Ashburn for 4th all time i...

Former Player Proposes Marriage on the Field in Lakewood

Three's a crowd, Buster...Image- Jay Floyd For one New Jersey couple a unique meeting at the ballpark led to a new meaning for the term baseball diamond. Brian Parker spotted the woman of his dreams from the bullpen bench at Lakewood, NJ's FirstEnergy Park on July 9th, 2010. The right-handed reliever for the Orioles affiliate Delmarva Shorebirds wasn't summoned to pitch that night, but it didn't stop him from getting up and going through his usual warm up and stretching routines to inch closer to a young blonde Brick Township native that he felt drawn toward. "I was acting like I was staying hot, but really I was just trying to talk to her," Parker, a 19th round draft choice by Baltimore in 2007, stated. "I ended up putting my (phone) number on a baseball and we decided to hang out and throughout that whole next year it was back and forth trips between the both of us." The lady that caught Parker's eye was Kristin VanDeventer, who was ...

Lidge Shaky, T-Mac Honored in Trenton

TRENTON, NJ- Brad Lidge made his second rehab appearance for the Double A Reading Phillies on Thursday night and it didn't go as well as the veteran reliever or the team had hoped. Lidge struggled with his command and turned in a rather poor outing for the club that entered the night in a playoff race, 1 game behind division rival Trenton for the Wild Card spot in the Eastern Division. On the disabled list since spring training with a strained right rotator cuff, Lidge experienced an elbow strain when he was working back from that issue in late May. In his outing against the Yankees affiliate in Trenton, Lidge displayed difficulty with his control as he threw three wild pitches, hit two batters, walked another and gave up a single, all while letting up two earned runs on 28 pitches in 2/3 of an inning. After the disappointing performance, Lidge was composed and focused on some positive aspects, having reached 89 and 90 MPH on scouts' radar guns, according to some reports. ...