December 4, 2008

 

Position: Center Field
Hits/Throws: Left/Left
Height/Weight: 6'1''/180
Birthday: 2/20/1986 (Age 22)
Roster Status: On 40-man Roster; 3 Options Remaining

Background: Julio Borbon came to the Rangers as the 35th overall pick in the 2007 MLB Draft out of the University of Tennessee. However, Borbon does not have the typical college player background. Having gone to Tennessee out of the Dominican, he was the Volunteers' first non-continental player in almost a decade. The son of a Mississippi State grad (and holder of a Ph.D.), Borbon came to the SEC with a good reputation as a speedy outfielder. Once in Knoxville, Borbon did not disappoint. A Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American, Borbon hit .350/.386/.450 in 220 at-bats on a team that reached the College World Series in 2005. He stole 12 bases, and had 14 extra-base hits. He struggled mightily with lefties during his freshman, year hitting just .197 against them, but there was hope he would improve with time. Borbon's sophomore season was incredibly impressive. Holding down center field and the leadoff spot as a 20 year-old, Borbon hit .366/.412/.481 in 235 at-bats, stealing 19 bases and hitting 20 extra-base hits. He then went on to hit .364 over the summer with Team USA at the FISU World Championship Tournament in Havana. Borbon entered his junior campaign as one of the most heralded draft prospects in all of baseball, being the best college outfielder available in the 2007 draft. However, about a week before the season was set to begin, Borbon went down with a fractured ankle, and did not return until mid-March. He finished out the season pretty well, hitting .345/.370/.506 in 174 at-bats, but stole just 10 bases, an obvious side effect of his ankle injury. He slipped to the Rangers at number 35 in the draft due to his injury and his signability, as Scott Boras is Borbon's agent. However, the Rangers signed him at the August 15 deadline to a Major League contract that is worth $1.3 million over 4 seasons from 2007 to 2010. His signing bonus was $800,000 of the contract, and the Rangers were happy to get Borbon into their organization.

Tools: Borbon has been a moderately controversial prospect since his entrance into pro baseball. His tools are usually the subject. His bat is projected to hit for a high average, though there was some concern about low walk totals. With a good AFL showing, Borbon has shown his ability to take walks, though I'd expect his average to be better next year. It's not hard to project Borbon as a perennial .300 hitter, and he could peak somewhere in the .320s, maybe higher if he's lucky. His power has normally been seen as about average for a center fielder. He has the ability to hit double-digit home runs, but his approach at the plate is to hit the first good pitch he sees, so he doesn't usually find himself in counts that are conducive to swinging for the fences. However, I'd project Borbon to hit 10-12 home runs most years, with his peak possibly reaching into the high-teens. Borbon's glove is seen as a plus tool. He has excellent range, and he catches almost everything hit anywhere near him. If it's true that one of the reasons he was moved to Frisco was to get more experience expanding his range (as Mike Hindman noted), then he is a truly gifted center fielder. His arm is comfortably an average center fielder's arm. There's wide debate over this, but there's no proof that it is as bad as some claim. He only threw out 2 people all year in 2008, but that's usually due to various conditions out of a fielder's control. As for his speed, Borbon may be the fastest player in the organization. Jose Vallejo may be the only one that could outrun him in a sprint. His baserunning seemed to get a little worse as the season progressed last year, but I can see him improving his basestealing efficiency enough to become a game-changer from first or second. Overall, Borbon is loaded with select plus tools, though he is not a five tool guy. His tools are a perfect fit for a quality Major League center fielder, though, so I expect him to succeed.

Professional Experience: Borbon signed so late in 2007 that he barely got any time in the pros. In the time that he did have, he struggled mightily. The Rangers originally assigned him to Spokane, but a rough 5-29 stint culminated in his demotion to the AZL, where he went 2 for 8 in a pair of games. The Rangers wanted to use his limited pro exposure in 2007 to simply prepare him for what was to come in 2008, and despite his rough debut, he was seen as one of the best Ranger center field prospects in awhile.

2008 Season: Borbon opened the 2008 season with a challenging assignment to High-A Bakersfield of the California League. However, Borbon quickly hit his way out of the Cal League, needing just 291 at-bats to do so. In those at-bats, he hit .306/.346/.395, stealing 36 bases in 43 tries and hitting 22 extra-base hits. That spectacular debut was quickly overshadowed by an impressive Texas League stint of nearly equal length to close out the regular season. In 255 at-bats with Frisco, Borbon hit .337/.380/.459, stealing 17 bases in 28 tries while hitting 19 extra-base hits. His lack of success stealing with Frisco was a bit of a disappointment, but it is understandable, since 2008 was Borbon's first exposure to a full season of pro baseball. He also walked only 29 times total over both assignments, though this was almost offset by his total strikeout number of 62. The Rangers sent him to the Arizona Fall League to work on his patience, and he excelled there, too. In 87 at-bats, Borbon hit .287/.404/.425, drawing 17 walks against 20 strikeouts. He also went 7 for 8 in stolen base attempts and had 7 more extra-base hits. He's shown more of the same in a Dominican Winter League that is currently happening. Overall, Borbon has shown that he can do almost anything that the Rangers ask of him on a baseball field, so there's reason to be excited about Julio Borbon.

Future Outlook: Julio Borbon is poised to be the Rangers' best true center fielder in a number of years, possibly ever. His combination of strong hitting, fielding, speed, and polish are unequaled by anyone else in the organization. Considering all the successful stints he's had this season, I wouldn't be surprised to see Borbon open in center field for the Oklahoma City RedHawks in 2009. He doesn't have anything left to prove at AA. For that reason, I expect Borbon to get a look in center in Arlington in September, if not sooner. Josh Hamilton is an incredible player, but his long-term future with the Rangers likely rests in a corner outfield spot. Borbon will be his replacement very soon. If Borbon doesn't establish himself as the club's Major League center fielder sometime in 2009, I'd expect him to be there on Opening Day in 2010, and he'll be there for years to come.

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