Texas Rangers Top 20 Prospects: No. 4

No. 4: Engel Beltre

OF
6-2 - 180 - 11/1/89
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

Engel Beltre was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Boston Red Sox out of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, before the 2007 season.

Beltre started the 2007 season with the Gulf Coast League Red Sox, batting .208 with five home runs and 13 RBI before being traded to the Texas Rangers on July 31, 2007. Beltre finished out the season with the Arizona League Rangers before playing in Spokane's final nine games.

Beltre spent the 2008 season with the Clinton Lumberkings, hitting .283 with eight home runs and 47 RBI in 130 games. During the 2009 season, Beltre made appearances for the Arizona League Rangers, Bakersfield Blaze and Frisco RoughRiders.

Beltre spent most of the 2010 season with Bakersfield, hitting .331 with five home runs and 35 RBI, before being promoted to Frisco. Playing in their final 47 games, Beltre compiled a .254 average with 46 hits in 181 at-bats.

Beltre was named the 2010 Rangers Tom Grieve Minor League Player of the Year.

 

Jamey Newberg’s profile on Engel Beltre:
Engel Beltre, OF

Beltre turned a corner in 2010, as his considerable raw skills began to translate into real results. He's similar to the player Ruben Mateo was 10 years ago, a dynamic athlete with the range to play center field and the arm to play right, and every offensive tool. Part of the return from Boston for Eric Gagné in July 2007 (along with David Murphy and Kason Gabbard), Beltre dazzled the organization with his potential before breaking through last spring with a .331/.376/.460 run with High A Bakersfield. Texas had tried to force plate patience on Beltre by leading him off for much of his time since arriving from the Red Sox, but that experiment hit a low when he reached base at a meager .281 clip for the Blaze in 2009. Moved into the three hole with the same club this spring, he suddenly put together a .405 on-base percentage in that slot, and it was game on. Beltre had hit .233 in April, .347 in May, and .406 in June, prompting a promotion to AA Frisco (days after which Texas reportedly refused to include him in the Cliff Lee trade with Seattle). He hit mostly third and fifth for the RoughRiders en route to a line of .254/.301/.337. The Texas League slash line didn't jump off the page, but this was a 20-year-old playing against competition several years older and showing managers and scouts enough to earn Baseball America's ranking as the circuit's number 18 prospect (he was number five in the Cal League rankings). The lefthander has plus bat speed, and though he can't yet be called selective at the plate, he did a much better job in 2010 of laying off pitches he can't do much with. There's still work to be done, but the walks were up this year, the strikeouts were down, the on-base and slug were career full-season highs, and the picture is starting to come into full focus.

No. 5: LHP Robbie Erlin
No. 6: LHP Michael Kirkman
No. 7: SS Luis Sardinas
No. 8: LHP Robbie Ross
No. 9: RHP David Perez
No. 10: RHP Wilmer Font
No. 11: OF Jake Skole
No. 12: C Jorge Alfaro
No. 13: RHP Fabio Castillo
No. 14: RHP Joe Wieland
No. 15: RHP Matt Thompson
No. 16: RHP Luke Jackson
No. 17: 3B Christian Villanueva
No. 18: LHP Miguel De Los Santos
No. 19: 3B Mike Olt
No. 20: RHP Omar Beltre