Orem, Utah —— Entering play on Tuesday night, Kansas City Royals outfield prospect Amalani Fukofuka is slashing .276/.346/.405/.751 for several affiliates including the Pioneer League‘s Iadho Falls Chukars, with 14 doubles, two triples, five home runs, 22 stolen bases and 24 walks in 69 games (257 at-bats). I’ve observed Fukofuka several times this season in the Pioneer League; below is Baseball Census‘ full Amalani Fukofuka scouting report, including video.
Amalani Fukofuka Scouting Report — Video
Our video of Kansas City Royals outfield prospect Amalani Fukofuka shows at-bats taken on July 9 against the Orem Owlz on the road in Orem, Utah:
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Amalani Fukofuka Scouting Report — Notes
Offensively, Amalani Fukofuka shows a tight, compact approach at the plate. Slightly chokes up on the bat to increase his ability to make contact. Quick, explosive swing. Generates average power, but prioritizes hit tool over power tool. Shows a slight tendency of being overly aggressive. Great base running instincts and speed. Fukofuka has been promoted twice to Single-A ball, but has struggled with a .538 OPS over 567 plate appearances. His plate approach seems to work in the Pioneer League (.901 OPS in 2016 and .889 OPS in 2017), but hasn’t yet translated well to the South Atlantic League. Overall, he’s still raw and has some holes to fill in his swing in order to move up with the Kansas City Royals.
Defensively, Amalani Fukofuka has played every outfield position in his career, but the majority of his 2017 season has been spent in right field. His arm seems to be slightly above-average at best, and because of it he may make a transition to left field in the future. Speed translates well in his defense, though, as he can cover a lot of ground quickly in the outfield.
Amalani Fukofuka Scouting Report — Projection
Amalani Fukofuka has already overcome multiple up-and-down seasons in his short baseball career, and that should benefit him mentally as he overcomes slumps moving forward. While he currently profiles as a relatively speedy contact hitter, he’ll have to adjust to higher-level pitching if there is to be a big league future. He doesn’t currently have a perfectly natural position in the outfield, either, so the likely path forward for Fukofuka will be that of a utility outfielder who can maximize his potential through versatility on a roster.
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