Orem, Utah —— Entering play on Saturday night, Colorado Rockies infield prospect Ryan Vilade is slashing .394/.524/.606/1.130 over the first nine games (33 at-bats) of his professional career playing with the rookie-level Grand Junction Rockies of the Pioneer League in 2017. I observed the Colorado Rockies’ second round (2017) pick this week; below is Baseball Census‘ full Ryan Vilade scouting report, including video.
Ryan Vilade Scouting Report — Video
Our video of Colorado Rockies infield prospect Ryan Vilade comes from a July 2, 2017 game against the Orem Owlz:
And our second Ryan Vilade video breaks out and slows down his opposite-field home run swing from that same game:
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Ryan Vilade Scouting Report — Notes
Offensively, Ryan Vilade has a very engaged approach. Body works close to the plate, giving him a strong read on pitches on both sides of the plate. Bat covers all of the plate. Patience and/or pitch recognition seems to leave his reaction time a tick behind, but his power tool plays well for opposite-field hits. Legit power, should add even more as he matures. Future 20+ homer potential. Could struggle catching up against pitchers with power fastballs, though. Swings generates consistent hard contact. Decent contact skills, but something that will need to be worked on as he makes his way up. Average speed on the base paths. Seems a little awkward running, doesn’t have a high peak speed. Won’t be much of a runner.
Defensively, Ryan Vilade is very raw, but he has a power arm on the left side of the infield. Showed decent range at short in my look, although his strong frame and potential power bat might eventually be better suited for third base. Quick reactions defensively. Showed very good reads backing up into the outfield on shallow fly balls. Athleticism makes him a decent fit for either position; may wind up at third base or even second base as responsibility of premium position takes hold in upper minors, but for now he looks good at shortstop.
Ryan Vilade Scouting Report — Projection
Ryan Vilade is raw, as you’d expect from virtually any high school draftee, and the Colorado Rockies have quite a bit of development here to get something to project to the big leagues. There are some red flags early—whether Vilade can turn on truly premium velocity, for one—but good contact skills and a power approach that’s already coming through in his transition to pro ball bode well for the infielder’s future. Assuming all goes right and health cooperates, Vilade is likely polished enough to find himself in Low-A next summer for his first shot at full-season ball. There’s a long way to go to reach the big leagues and little point in projecting out too specifically after just nine professional games, but the Colorado Rockies have themselves a good little ballplayer who is hitting the ground running in the professional ranks.
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