Dilan Rosario, SS
DOB: June 16, 2001
BATS: R / THROWS: R
ACQUIRED: Drafted 6th Round (#176), 2019
LAST LEVEL: Rookie
VOLATILITY: High
GiantFutures Ranks: #3 Shortstop
Performance: On the stat sheet, Rosario’s debut in 2019 was not encouraging. He slashed a poor .214/.254/.364 in Arizona, although he showed some surprising pop on the hits he got, with an isolated slugging percentage of .150, and an XBH% of 40%.
Strengths and Weaknesses: Rosario’s best tool is easily his defense, as he can play shortstop as well as anyone in the system, despite some first-season troubles. That sort of defense is the kind of tool that can carry a prospect despite a lack of hitting.
Rosario does show a bit of pop in his bat, though. He’s gotten some raves for his raw power in batting practice, and as his 2019 season showed, the power shows up in games.
The weakness, though, is obviously his contact skills. You can’t hit for power if you can’t hit the ball, and his 36% K rate is very concerning, especially at a low level. That’s going to be his focus easily going forward, and his career will ride on it.
2021 Outlook: Missing 2020 definitely hurt, as he was probably headed back to the Arizona League. He still might be held back, but I think we might see him manning the shortstop position in San Jose, and letting the Giants see how he responds to the push.
Future Profile: Truthfully, it’s hard to see a full-time starter in Rosario as it is right now. But he has two tools that can carry otherwise flawed players: premium position defense and power. He could easily become a bench player used as a backup or a defensive replacement in late innings to help seal leads, and providing a touch of pop in the back of the batting order when he starts.
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