The Colorado Rockies have a pretty interesting minor league system. Featuring top of the line prospects such as Zac Veen and Ezequiel Tovar, it’s easy to see how some players may fall under the radar. One of these players that is often overlooked is Yanquiel Fernandez. The 20 year old prospect from Cuba is one of the Rockies best but most underrated prospects they have to offer. After being signed for $295,000 in the 2019-20 INTL signing class, Fernandez immediately hit it off his first season although be it a small sample size. The Rockies immediately knew they had something in Fernandez and were excited to see him develop further through his first full pro season in 2022.

Fernandez comes in at #13 in the Colorado system according to pipeline, and is unranked in the top 100 prospects in baseball according to pipeline as well. This is an absolute crime given the success Fernandez posted in 2022. The Rockies prospect slugged 21 homers in the 2022 campaign while also boasting great on base numbers. Fernandez’s OPS in 2022 was .847 which was good enough for 12th in his respective league. This power display gained him a very, very respectable 50/70 raw power grade from Fangraphs.

With all the tools of an elite on base machine, while also being a great power bat, it’s crazy how overlooked Fernandez tends to be. Fernandez posted a very respectable 112 WRC+ in 2022, as well as .375 wOBA. With the power and elite bat Fernandez possesses I have no doubts he will be a flawless fit for Coors Field, where his numbers will almost certainly play up to a higher degree, in the mile high city.

Here is some video of Fernandez and his sweet lefty swing:

[Fernandez] struggled earlier in the year with breaking stuff, making adjustments as the year went on, and his second half was a substantial improvement, with a .336/.383/.601 line in the latter half of his season (58 games). He’s a corner outfielder with an 80 arm and the power to profile there as long as his pitch recognition holds up.

Keith Law of The Athletic on Fernandez (2021)

Outside of the elite hitting potential, the obvious flaw when looking at Fernandez stats is the 10 errors in 90 games in 2022. That would mean he commits an error in 1 out of every 9 games, which would not translate well as a major league outfielder. Especially when playing at Coors Field, which has the largest outfield in MLB. However, it does benefit him that the universal DH has swept across the National League, allowing more opportunity to disguise his fielding and be a full time MLB slugger

While it may be really difficult to fit Fernandez in a list as elite as the top 100 prospects in baseball, I think that he deserves a lot more respect than he is currently receiving. With how he played last year at single A Fresno, posting a .340 OBP and a .848 OPS, he should be on track to be promoted to the next level in 2023, with MLB Pipeline expecting him to reach the major leagues in the 2025 season.

Yanquiel Fernandez is a player to keep a close eye on in 2023. The sweet swinging lefty has proven that he has the potential to provide a spark in a major league lineup in future years to come.