Josi Novas was signed by the Royals as part of their 2022 international signing class. It was the largest group in franchise history at the time and included other names such as Erick Torres and Juan Olmos. At the time, the team was “very intrigued by the combination of the hitting ability, size, and tools present in shortstop Josi Novas.” Those tools have already started to show themselves in both the Dominican Summer League and the Arizona Complex League. Novas is a 6-4 shortstop with good speed, power potential, and strong contact ability. That mix is a great combination and places Novas on our top prospects list.
Season Stats:
2022 (DSL): .205/.283/.420, 9.4% BB%, 37.0% K%, 85 wRC+
2023 (CPX): .324/.437/.450, 17.0% BB%, 31.1% K%, 130 wRC+
Novas is clearly a raw prospect. He’ll turn 19 before the 2024 season and has plenty more development to go. However, a large amount of that development showed itself in 2023. From his debut in 2022 to last season, Novas improved his approach greatly. His walk rate was nearly eight percent higher year over year. The swing-and-miss is clear in his game and will limit him if he can’t cut down on the strikeouts. With that said, the combination of tools here is just too intriguing to ignore.
Novas has an easy swing from the right side that allows him to generate ample pop to all fields. The overall swing mechanics are easily repeatable and good bat speed allows Novas to hit the ball hard. His large frame gives hope that the power can develop further. He posted a .126 ISO in Surprise last season but that mark was .214 in Novas’s largest DSL sample. Novas should get the chance to test Low-A sometime in 2024. He plays shortstop, but a move to second base wouldn’t surprise me long-term. If his arm can develop, he may profile as a third baseman as well.
Scouting Grades:
Hit: 30/50
Game Power: 30/55
Raw Power: 40/60
Speed: 55/50
Glove: 45/50
Arm: 45/50
Best Case Scenario:
There is a high ceiling here for Novas, although it comes with a very low floor. Such is the story with so many international prospects this young. All the tools are still developing, but there’s potential here for a power-first shortstop or second baseman with good speed. Something like Willy Adames comes to mind. Novas will need to continue developing his approach to limit the swing-and-miss. If he does, the sky is the limit.
Worst Case Scenario:
The low floor that comes with many international prospects applies here. The entire minor league sample we’ve seen thus far for Novas has been in the Dominican Summer League and Arizona Complex League. Both leagues are often offense-heavy and the performance of players there doesn’t always translate to the next level. If Novas continues to strike out at the same pace against stiffer competition, he looks more like a long-term minor leaguer similar to Juan Carlos Negret. Negret has great power but hasn’t been able to get into it due to strikeouts and contact ability.