Javier Vaz has always had a somewhat under-the-radar career. He started his college career at a small school in Eunice, Louisiana. After two seasons at LSU Eunice, he transferred to Vanderbilt and started to truly make a name for himself. He was drafted by the Royals late, in the 15th round of the 2022 MLB Draft. With a chip on his shoulder, Vaz has competed each day and is now one of the best prospects in the farm system.

Season Stats:

2022 (Low-A): .260/.388/.370, 16.5% BB%, 11.6% K%, 120 wRC+

2023 (High-A): .270/.367/.390, 12.6% BB%, 8.2% K%, 118 wRC+

2023 (AA): .304/.391/.429, 11.5% BB%, 13.8% K%, 121 wRC+

I started hearing whispers about Javi before the 2023 season. Many told me about him as an under-the-radar prospect and name to watch. He had shown great contact ability in a small sample for the Fireflies in 2022 but it wasn’t obvious yet how good he would become. Then, for most of the 2023 season, he was among the best hitters in a very strong Quad Cities lineup.

His swinging strike rate was among the lowest in the entire minor leagues. His bat-to-ball skills are the best in the entire Royals farm system. That’s not good enough, for Vaz. He wants to sacrifice some of that innate ability to make contact so that he can generate a bit more power — something he did successfully after being promoted to Double-A last season. He’s been a quick mover through the minor leagues thus far and should have a chance to make the roster for Opening Day 2025.

Scouting Grades:

Hit: 45/70

Game Power: 35/45

Raw Power: 35/45

Speed: 60/60

Glove: 50/50

Arm: 50/50

Best Case Scenario:

Javier Vaz has all the tools to become a great leadoff hitter in the major leagues, or a very strong “sparkplug” of a nine hitter, depending on how you want your lineup constructed. His blend of contact, patience, and speed should make him a tough out and a nuisance for opposing pitchers once he gets on base. If Vaz can add a little more gap power, that ceiling becomes an All-Star caliber player who can play a bit all over the diamond.

Worst Case Scenario:

If the power never comes for Vaz, that’ll be just fine. His baseline floor looks so high thanks to his bat-to-ball skills that he should be able to give meaningful Major League value even without the power. Still, if it doesn’t develop much further then there’s a chance he only ever develops into an average Major League Utilityman. As Javi reaches the upper minors and major leagues, he will face much stiffer competition and many of his sharp groundball hits could become dribblers that turn into groundouts.