Blue Jays Nation’s Pre-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 41: Manuel Beltre

5 months ago

The Blue Jays top signing from the 2021 International Free Agency class will need to take a big step soon.

This is Blue Jays Nation’s annual pre-season list, in which I’ll take a look at the top 50 prospects in the organization. We’ll look at the player’s stats, my observations, and other publications’ scouting reports if available.

Let’s take a look at Manuel Beltre.

Getting to know Manuel Beltre…

Position: Shortstop

Bats: Right

Born: June 9, 2004

Acquired: 2021 International Free Agency

2023 Team: Single-A Dunedin

Previous Ranking: 24

The Blue Jays signed the shortstop at the start of the 2021 International Free Agency for a signing bonus of $2.35 million. In his first season in the Jays organization, he slashed .225/.391/.346 with two homers in 238 plate appearances with the Dominican Summer League team. Moreover, he had a higher BB% (17.6%) than K% (13.9%).

Beltre’s 2022 season was a bit of a struggle, as he slashed .234/.351/.310 with a homer in 206 plate appearances in 206 plate appearances once he moved Stateside to play for the Florida League Complex Blue Jays. Moreover, Beltre’s BB% decreased to 10.7%, while his K% increased to 19.9%, giving him a 96 wRC+.

There were some positives from the 2022 season, as he had 22 plate appearances with the Single-A Dunedin Blue Jays, where he hit a homer and had eight hits for a 178 wRC+.

Beltre was one of the youngest players in the Florida State League to start the 2023 season, along with then Blue Jay Sammy Hernandez. Beltre held his own as a youngster in Single-A, slashing .231/.335/.340 with a career-high six homers in 431 plate appearances for a 91 wRC+. Moreover, his BB% sat at 11.1%, while his K% hovered around what it did last season, 19.3%.

According to his 2023 MLB Pipeline report where he ranked 28th, Beltre has a tenacious work ethic and is a leader. The bat is a bit light when it comes to power, but he may have a similar trajectory to Leo Jimenez who finally started to hit for power (still not a lot) in his age 21 season. Beltre’s going to have to hit for average and play good defence, and he’s already got the latter down.

Beltre ranked as Scott Mitchell’s 43rd-best prospect in the Jays organization in his pre-season ranking. The 19-year-old (remember he’s still very young), is off Fangraphs’ Top 31 list and Baseball America’s Top 30 list.

The 2024 season will be a big one for Beltre, as he either needs to hit for more power or average when he repeats the Single-A level. Having more experience and being another year old could certainly help him do at least one of those things.