Kevin Maitan

Fangraphs
Hit - 30/60 Raw Power - 55/60 Game Power - 20/55 Run - 50/40 Fielding - 40/55 Throw - 60/60

Scouting Report 
Scouts had already identified Maitan as prospect of note before he had turned 13 and, within a year, his body and offensive ability started maturing in such a way that he began garnering Miguel Cabrera comparisons. He had a near ideal physique, smooth defensive actions at shortstop with plenty of arm for the position, and not just usable but potentially impactful swings from both sides of the plate — as well as power projection to accompany it.



When I saw Maitan first don a Braves uniform in the fall, he was rusty but clearly quite gifted. He hadn’t seen game action for a while but showed good feel for the strike zone, plus bat speed, solid actions at short and a plus arm. Physically, he looked very likely to move to third base at some point (and probably soon), his lower half quickly thickening. But there’s a chance that Maitan develops a plus hit tool and plus raw power from both sides of the plate. He’ll profile comfortably at third base, or anywhere for that matter, if he does.

His left-handed swing is of the traditional, low-ball variety and has a beautiful high finish. The bat is quick into the zone and long through it, producing gap-to-gap contact right now that should move toward and over outfield fences as Maitan matures. From the right side, Maitan’s wrists are a little looser, his weight transfer more explosive and comfortable, his hands more surgical and his bat control more advanced.

This is the best July 2 prospect since Miguel Sano, a potential star who plays at a favorable spot on the defensive spectrum, potentially at a high level, hits and hits for power. The risk here is obviously high because we’re talking about a teenager who has yet to finish growing and who hasn’t yet faced pro pitching in a competitive environment, hence the heavy dilution to his FV grade despite a potential Role 7 ceiling.

Prospectus
Kevin Maitan, SS DOB: 02/12/2000
Height/Weight: 6’2” 190 lbs
Bats/Throws: S/R

The Good and the Bad are mostly Irrelevant: Even in a system as deep as the Braves, you could throw a dart at a board and have a good chance at landing on a reasonable ranking for Maitan, as long as you avoided the double and triple rings. He has only made a cameo in American instructs and was born a day after The Beach was released, which was the first movie date I went on with my high school girlfriend. The possibilities for Maitan now are a little more open-ended than they were for me at the time.

He maybe won’t go on to be as big a star as DiCaprio in his chosen field, but the switch-hitting shortstop was the consensus best prospect in this year’s J2 class, and has a huge offensive ceiling. He has above-average bat speed with some natural whip and could be a plus hit/plus power bat that plays on the left side of the infield, somewhere. Even the people scouting him can’t agree on what the shape of that ceiling is, or where his ultimate defensive home will be, so I find it difficult to put an OFP and a Likely grade on him. We’ll stick with one for now, rather than try to hedge with three.

The Role: OFP 60—Above-average regular.

The Risks: Maitan has yet to take a swing in an official game. This could go an awful lot of different ways even in just the next three years. But at least he’s not a pitcher.

Major league ETA: 2022

Ben Carsley’s Fantasy Take: If you met someone tomorrow, you could begin to date them, get engaged, get married and have children in a traditional, linear fashion before Maitan makes his MLB debut. The timeline adds tremendous risk to his fantasy profile—you’re probably punting a roster spot for at least a half-decade if you acquire him—but the ceiling justifies the probable wait. I cannot in good faith give you any stat estimates at this point in the game, but be patient with Maitan, because potential plus-average/plus-power infielders don’t come along very often.

KLaw

Age: 17 (2/12/00) | B/T: B/R Height: 6-2 | Weight: 175

Maitan signed with Atlanta for $4.25 million on July 2 and was considered the best offensive prospect to come out of the Latin American amateur market since Miguel Sano came out of the Dominican Republic in 2009.

The Venezuelan shortstop probably won’t stay at the position, given how big he’s likely to become, but he has earned swing comparisons to Miguel Cabrera, with big power for his age already and good feel to hit from both sides of the plate, though his right-handed swing is the better of the two right now. His swing can get long, and he might be a higher strikeout guy than Miggy was, more in the vein of Sano as a younger hitter in the low minors, but there’s real offensive upside here, as far as his hit and power tools, if he shows even a modicum of plate discipline.

In the field, Maitan has the plus arm you want for third base, but even if he stays 6-foot-2, he could easily end up in the 210-220-pound range, and he isn’t a lock to stay on the dirt. He’s on this list because of the unanimous assessments of international scouts that he’s a different level of hitting prospect than we’ve seen come out of Latin America this decade, and Atlanta might have its next middle-of-the-order prospect thanks to the decision to blow out its 2016 international budget to sign him.

MLB 

Position: SS Age: 17 DOB: 02/12/2000 Bats: S Throws: R Height: 6' 2" Weight: 190 lb.
Scouting grades: Hit: 60 | Power: 55 | Run: 40 | Arm: 65 | Field: 50 | Overall: 55

Switch-hitters who have the chance to hit for power and average from both sides while potentially staying up the middle defensively aren't exactly easy to find. That's a big reason why Maitan was ranked No. 1 on MLBPipeline.com's Top 30 international prospects list entering the 2016 July 2 signing period and why the Braves shelled out $4.25 million to sign him.

The Venezuelan teenager has been compared to Miguel Sano and his ceiling has been put side-by-side with the likes of Miguel Cabrera and Chipper Jones. He has pop from both sides, with perhaps a touch more from the right side, and has shown an advanced approach at the plate, especially for his age. While he's not a runner, he is agile and athletic in the field. That, along with a tremendous arm and excellent instincts, make some think he can stay at short long-term. Others think he'll eventually have to move to third, though he can be a plus defender there.

Wherever he plays defensively, most agree Maitan has the combination of hitting tools and feel for the game to develop into a future superstar in the middle of a lineup. He'll be just 17 for all of the 2017 season, so patience will be key.