Written by Greg Fertel
|
29 December 2007
- Age: 20
- Height: 5?11?
- Weight: 160 lbs
- Position: SS/2b
- Bats: Switch
Scouting Report: Corona posses a quick line drive stroke that has yet to generate a lot of power, but gives him the ability to hit for average. He is a disciplined hitter who has improved his walk rate for three straight years while keeping the strikeouts in check. Corona is fast, possessing Jeter-like speed. He is a plus defensive second baseman and has displayed good defensive skills at 3rd and in the outfield, although he has yet to settle in at shortstop. His arm is solid for a second baseman but its causing him trouble at shortstop, but he does possess very good range at both short and second. He made a lot of rushed throwing errors in 2007.
History: Corona emerged out of the Yankees Latin crop as a no-bat guy in the gulf coast league way back in 2004, when he was 17 years old. He spent his age 18 year in Staten Island, where he hit .227/.302/.271. The Yankees saw something that they liked despite the struggle, and handed Corona an everyday job in Charleston. There, he made quite a splash among prospect watchers by hitting .350/.397/.415 through July 1st. However, he fell apart and hit 237/.315/.323 in July and .206/.274/.222 in August. My thought is that Corona, who had spent some time in late May on the DL with shoulder problems, just wore down late in the first season where he played so much baseball every day. He also got very lucky with a BABIP near .400. He hit .292/.351/.365 on the season in Charleston and hit .297/.308/.405 in a 9 game cup of tea in Tampa, with 26 stolen bases. He got time at 2nd, short, 3rd, left field, and even a few short appearances at 1st base and right field.
This Season: For the second straight year, Corona started very strong. He hit .320/.383/.408 in April and .260/.361/.346 in May, maintaining a very strong walk rate throughout the whole season. He was promoted to Trenton at the end of July. The final batting line in Tampa was .271/.356/.352. In Trenton, he struggled and hit just .221/.315/.264. He struggled with defense the whole season, but played every inning at shortstop, so the Yankees seem confident that Corona won't have to settle in as a utility player. Its worth noting that Corona spent the entire season at the age of 20.
Outlook: Corona will start the season at Trenton. At this point, he is behind Alberto Gonzalez in the depth charts, so an appearance in the majors this year is very unlikely. That's a good thing for Corona: he's not ready yet. Despite rising so quickly through the minors at a young age (or, as a result of it), he has yet to settle into shortstop or to really blossom as a hitter. Unless Gonzalez winds up in the major leagues, or Justin Snyder pushes too hard from behind, Corona will spend the entirety of the 2008 season as Trenton's starting shortstop.
Ranking: Before the season began, I was skeptical of Corona's potential, but said, "If Corona can put up a similar batting line in 2007 within the murderous confines of Tampa, hell gain some points in my book." He has exceeded my expectations. My worries before this season were centered around his lack of plate discipline. He profiled as a leadoff hitter who didn't like to take a lot of walks. That has changed. Despite struggling in Trenton and posting a lackluster June and July in Tampa, Corona took walks at almost the exact same pace all the way through. More and more, he looks analogous to Luis Castillo. He's developing on the same curve that Castillo did, and has a similar tool box. I ranked Corona at 28 and Eric ranked him at 19. I'm probably lowballing him a lot, and would have considerably more confidence in him if he settled in at short. Eric probably has more faith in Corona's defensive ability than I do. My test for Corona next year: keep taking walks at the same rate and become more consistent at shortstop.
Next up: Brett Gardner
