Aeverson Arteaga, SS
DOB: 3/16/2003
BATS: R / THROWS: R
ACQUIRED: International Signing, July 2019
LAST LEVEL: Low-A
VOLATILITY: High
GiantFutures 2023 Ranks: #8 Overall, #2 Shortstop
2022 Performance: In Arteaga’s first full season of baseball, he answered a lot of questions with a solid all-around year in San Jose.
Arteaga hit .270/.345/.431 across 122 games, staying healthy and productive all season long. Arteaga hit 35 doubles, two triples, and 14 home runs, and even added 11 steals on 17 attempts. He did have 155 strikeouts to 49 walks, not a bad ration, but striking out once every 3.65 plate appearances was the sign of a young and eager hitter.
Arteaga was steady for most of the season, slumping a bit in July as the season wore on, when hit hit just .211/.333/.433, but otherwise hit at least .250 every other month. Not surprisingly, he was much more effective against left-handed pitchers, batting .293/.386/.485 against them.
As expected, Arteaga played strong defense at shortstop, though he did end up with 25 errors at shortstop.
Strengths and Weaknesses: The top strength anyone will talk about with Arteaga is his defense. He’s one of the best defenders in the system at any position, and is easily the best current defensive shortstop in the system. He has all the tools in terms of range and arms, but more than that, he has an internal rhythm that flows well at shortstop.
Offensively, Arteaga has shown interesting power, though he is far more of a doubles hitter than a slugger. Arteaga does have struggles with his swing for contact, however, and his strikeout levels bode some wariness for the future, as to whether he’ll be able to hit enough to put his power to good use and be good enough offensively to play everyday.
On the basepaths, Arteaga is an average runner, but won’t take an extra base regularly.
2023 Outlook: Arteaga will start next year in Eugene as a 20-year old, still young for the level. The level will challenge him and his swing-and-miss issues could be exposed by better pitchers there.
Future Profile: At his best, Arteaga could be an everyday shortstop with a low batting average but enough doubles power to make an impact in the back of the batting order. If Arteaga can’t cut down on the strikeouts, his defense still gives him a high floor and a chance to be a defensive specialist.
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