A 6’0″, 180-lb. sophomore from Saugus High School in Saugus, California, shortstop Rudy Aguilar enters his second year at Ventura College in the fall of 2017 fresh off being the club’s best defensive infielder and starting the bulk of games at short last spring. He appeared in 37 games and got 156 at-bats for the Pirates in 2017, where Aguilar hit .282/.356/.321/.677 with six doubles, four stolen bases, 12 walks and 21 strikeouts. He also led the team in assists defensively and fielded at a .940 clip across his freshman season.
Along the way, Aguilar quickly proved himself an adept defender at shortstop, and while he may not stay there long-term, he’s got the chops to set himself apart right now and make himself a potential MLB Draft candidate, either out of Ventura College after the spring of 2018, or after his four-year school transition beyond that. (Aguilar is being recruited by several NCAA Division I four-year programs.) Below, we’ve got a full Rudy Aguilar scouting report from our extensive looks throughout 2017, with projection notes, game video, and everything else you need to know about the Ventura College infield prospect.
Rudy Aguilar, Ventura College — 2017 Scouting Report
Dates observed in 2017: March 11; March 16; April 4; April 11; April 16; October 6
Rudy Aguilar Scouting Report, Ventura College — 2017 Game Video
Rudy Aguilar Scouting Report — Notes & Analysis
A defense-first middle infielder who has the glove to play professional baseball one day, Rudy Aguilar has improved steadily since I first saw him early in the spring. Now in his sophomore year at Ventura College, he’s looking at some NCAA Division I offers and weighing a legitimate four-year future beyond this season; if his bat continues to develop and the glove shows out like it has already, he may be a legitimate MLB Draft candidate in nine months, too. I spoke to new Ventura head coach Jimmy Walker for a long time about Aguilar at one of the Pirates’ workouts last week; the story, broadly, goes that Aguilar worked incredibly hard to focus on fielding fundamentals in his first year. Now that he’s more experienced, Walker wants to turn him loose in the infield, and let Aguilar play into his athleticism. That’s a good plan — and a good way for an above-average middle infielder to show out for pro organizations.
There’s still some work to do here with the bat, and he’ll likely always be a below-average professional hitter, but he’s got a good body and frame that might help him there. Besides Rudy Aguilar will quickly find his glove to be his carrying tool, and improved defensive acumen will give him a shot to play the pro game whether next summer, or after his four-year stop.
Rudy Aguilar Scouting Report — Future Projection
There’s a long way to go through Aguilar’s spring season, but he’ll get a look from some organizations this spring. Long term, I believe he’ll be moved off shortstop in pro ball as his arm strength is more conducive to second base, or perhaps third base (and most likely, a utility infielder role), but his glove is true and he can really pick it at short. Assuming a similar development path to what he’s done over the past ten months, I’d be comfortable recommending Aguilar for a late-round (25-40) draft selection come June. He’ll have a Division I future and enough leverage to maybe push that depending on how strong a season he has for Ventura College in 2018. Ultimately, he may be better served to go to a four-year school and continue his development out of there, to be drafted in 2019 or 2020. Whenever it happens, Rudy Aguilar has a legitimate shot to play professional baseball as an above-average defender in the middle infield with a long-term chance to make his way forward as a glove-first utility-man.
Overall Future Potential (Future Value): Bench/up-and-down middle infielder; defense-first backup (40)
MLB ETA: 2023
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