Jairo Pomares, OF
DOB: August 4, 2000
BATS: L / THROWS: R
ACQUIRED: International Signing, July 2, 2018
LAST LEVEL: Short-A
VOLATILITY: Medium
GiantFutures Ranks: #4 Corner Outfield
Performance: a little older than the other signings from 2018, Pomares made his pro debut in the Arizona League in 2019 and, like his peers, had an excellent showing. Pomares hit .368 in 37 games, and showed off an all-around offensive performance, with a 26:10 K/BB ratio, and a 29.8% XBH rate, with ten doubles, four triples, and three home runs.
That earned Pomares a promotion to Short-A, where he struggled. His batting average dropped to .207, and he struck out 17 times in 14 games with just one walk. Pomares was one of the few top hitting prospects who did not make it to Arizona over the summer or fall, not even for the instructional league, with no reason known.
Strengths and Weaknesses: Pomares’ strength is his hit tool. He has good batspeed and excellent hand-eye coordination, which gives him the ability to make a lot of hard contact without many holes in his strike zone. He’s still working on his pitch selection, and once he improves that, he should become a contact hitting machine.
Beyond that, he’s got a range of most above-average skills. He’s above average on the basepaths, although probably not enough to have a huge impact as a basestealer, but definitely enough to pick up extra bases on his line drives. However, his power is his most average skill. His contact skills should help his power play up as high as it can go, but he probably won’t hit more than 15 home runs in a season.
Defensively, Pomares was signed with a lot of center field experience, but he’s probably the most obvious of the “center fielders” in the Giants system to head to a corner. He has good range, but needs to work on his routes and first step reactions. His arm is average at best.
2021 Outlook: With most of his peers at the rookie/short-a levels in 2019 having gone to instructional league and sometimes more, Pomares is an almost sure thing to start the year in Low-A San Jose to catch up on experience. His biggest goal will be that plate discipline, and unlocking as much power as he can with it.
Future Profile: Right now, Pomares has some projection issues. His hit tool is probably a carrying tool to the highest levels, but he hasn’t yet shown his other skills are enough above average to push him over the top. In particular, corner outfielders are expected to have more pop than he projects to right now, and Pomares doesn’t back it up with a lot of speed. That can still change, though. He’ll improve his value by improving his skills defensively, especially if his arm can get enough accuracy to make right field a potential home for him. I’d project him more as a fourth outfielder/pinch-hitting specialist for when managers need someone who can get a hit.
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