November 3, 2008

 

Position: Middle Infield
Hits/Throws: Right/Right
Height/Weight: 6'0''/172
Birthday: 4/24/1985 (Age 23)
Roster Status: Rule V Eligible after 2009 Season; Minor League Free Agent after 2011 Season

Background: Renny Osuna has one of the more unusual backgrounds in the Ranger organization. Officially, Osuna came to the Rangers as a 32nd round draft pick in the 2005 draft out of New Mexico Junior College. He was signed by scout Rick Schroeder after the season ended, meaning he would not be eligible for the Rule V draft until the 2009 season was done. Schroeder now covers Northern California for the Royals in the same area that Butch Metzger (Joe Wieland, Justin Miller) covers for the Rangers. The thing that makes Renny Osuna's background interesting is that he actually grew up in Venezuela, only to come to America to finish high school in Houston. He ended up at New Mexico JC for his sophomore year of college, where he led the team to a JUCO World Series title, winning MVP honors for the series. He finished the 2005 season at New Mexico JC with a .435 average with 4 home runs and 60 driven in. Visa problems plagued Osuna all through his best years in Venezuela, and he ended up signing at age 20 as a result.

Tools: Osuna has always been considered a solid prospect by scouts. His strengths include his hit tool, glove tool, and his arm strength. Scouts never saw him as one that would develop power, and his speed has always been considered average. Back to his bat, Osuna was seen by scouts as having excellent bat control, as exhibited by a lack of strikeouts and decent batting averages. Overall, as his hit tool stands now, expect averages to stay around .290, with the possibility of flares up into the .320 range. His batting average on balls in play was high this past season, so don't expect his averages to stay so bloated. From a power perspective, Osuna should never be expected to hit more than 5 long balls each year. He's a solid line drive hitter, and he rarely elevates pitches. It's not his strength, so it's good that he hasn't tried to overdo it. From a fielding standpoint, his glove itself has been considered well above-average, if not truly a plus tool. However, the tool has not played out on the field to this point. He made 30 errors in the field in 2008, 18 of which were at second base. He'll have to improve his consistency to be considered a solid fielder. His arm is about average at this point. He has the ability to be an adequate shortstop from an arm standpoint, though it is much more suited for second base, the position the Rangers seem to have him focusing on. He struggled in limited action at third last year, so don't expect him to go back there. As I stated above, his speed is nothing special. He set a career high with 14 stolen bases in 130 games last year, which is a testament to his average running ability. He was caught 4 times, so he's fairly above average in his baserunning skills. As for his batting eye, Osuna's is a real plus. He rarely strikes out on bad pitches, and he walks an adequate amount of times. He has the baseball smarts to excel with his tools, so expect good development patters with Osuna.

Professional Experience: Osuna had to start his professional career in the Dominican Summer League in 2006 due to visa problems. He handled that transition rather easily, as he was a good deal older than most of his competition. In 22 games there, he hit .333/.470/.439, an impressive line to go along with his 5/15 K/BB ratio. His visa came through toward the end of the season, and he was able to play in 21 games in the Arizona Rookie League, going .234/.289/.312 in his first stateside pro appearance. He still showed good plate discipline in the short outing, so the Rangers took the struggles as signs of tiring over a first pro season. The Rangers held Osuna back for Extended Spring Training in 2007, and he joined the Spokane club when their season began in June. He was the same age as the drafted seniors in that league, placing him in the upper half of the age spectrum for the league. He split the season starting at second base, third base, and first, not seeing shortstop at all. His batting improved from 2006, as he finished with a .274/.336/.349 line in 252 at-bats. He had a brief cameo at Clinton in the playoffs, but was not a big impact player. It's likely that the position shuffle affected his offense, and the Rangers expected him to play a key role up the middle in Clinton in 2008.

2008 Season: Osuna was viewed by many as a breakout candidate entering the 2008 season. His tools and approach were seen as key ingredients, and he was going to get the chance to play every day. At Clinton, he split time at second base and shortstop, which was his natural position in high school. His defense was pretty inconsistent, but it was his bat that got him noticed. After a brief struggle to start the season, Osuna began pounding Midwest League pitching. After just 267 at-bats with Clinton, he earned a promotion to Bakersfield with the promotion of Jose Vallejo above him. In his time at Clinton, Osuna hit .360/.425/.502, even with his initial struggles. This great performance was to be verified with a strong performance at Bakersfield, as well. Installed as their starting second baseman next to Marcus Lemon, Osuna proceeded to hit .317/.371/.405 in 259 at-bats. He did make 12 errors, but there's plenty of proof that the field in Bakersfield is one of the worst in baseball, so I'll give Osuna the benefit of the doubt. 2008 was a key season for Osuna, and he put himself squarely in the spotlight for recognition as one of the Rangers' best middle infield prospects.

Future Outlook: Renny Osuna's age will become an important factor at this point. He'll turn 24 in April, and he still hasn't seen AA. With players like Elvis Andrus, Jose Vallejo, and Marcus Lemon ahead of him on the middle infield depth chart, Osuna will have to really excel at second base to earn recognition. If he continues to hit like he did this year, that will be no problem. As it stands now, I expect Osuna to start the year at Frisco with Marcus Lemon. If Jose Vallejo is held back in Frisco to get some work at shortstop, it could be a different story. Marcus Lemon has been working at second base, so anything can happen at this point. I expect Osuna to become a backup middle infielder with the ability to bloom late like Placido Polanco did. Line drive hitters with good eyes succeed well at upper levels of the minors, so expect Osuna to see Arlington sometime in 2010.

Written by Andy Seiler

Photo from Blazebaseball on flickr.com