Written by Greg Fertel
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07 February 2008
- Age: 24 (as far as we know)
- Height: 6'0"
- Weight: 220 lbs
- Position: 1st base
- Bats: Left
Scouting Report: Miranda's all about hitting. An above-average hitter across the board, Miranda has shown flashes of 30 HR power. He strikes out a lot, but not enough to be truly burdensome. His real burden rests on defense - he's just plain bad at it. People may try to make some rationalizations along the lines of "Well he'll scoop the ball well" and "He'll make the plays that come to him", but Juan is a terrible defender. He's still young enough that he won't hurt the team ala Jason Giambi, but by no means will he be even a below-average player at the position.
History: We dont know a whole lot about Mirandas time in Cuba, but he did hit over .300 and flashed 35-40 home run power. The Yankees signed him nearly two years after he fled the country to a 4 year, 2 million dollar deal. He was sent to Tampa to start the season.
This Season: Shaking off two years of rust, Miranda hit .230/.290/.310 in April for Tampa. Once he got his feet under him, he hit .277/.390/.543 before his promotion to Trenton. He earned a promotion to Trenton, where he hit .304/.396/.561 in his first month before tailing off to a .202/.302/.357 in August. Its reasonable to assume that Miranda broke down as the long season took its tole on his body. After a month of rest, he absolutely tore up the Arizona Fall League, hitting .295/.423/.551. Overall, in 144 games, Miranda hit .269/.366/.482, 68 walks, 124 strikeouts and 21 home runs against pretty tough competition compared to what he saw in Cuba.
Outlook and Movement: He'll start the season at Triple-A. Already, Miranda would make a strong platoon candidate with Shelley Duncan at the major league level, but that would hinder potential development. Miranda struggled mightily (.617 OPS in Trenton, .715 in Tampa, .559 in Arizona) against left-handed pitching this season. If he's going to be a major league regular, he needs to learn how to hit good left handers, something that he probably didn't see a lot of in Cuba. This isn't an uncommon thing for someone new to the minor leagues. However, he won't see any left handed pitching if used strictly in a platoon role in the majors.
Ranking: I have Miranda right here at #10, while Eric has him at little lower at #14. Ashish has him at #7. I think that we're all impressed by the ability that Miranda showed during the middle months of the season and in the AFL. I think that Miranda is special because he has a decent ceiling (something around .270/.360/.530) and a very high floor (a solid hitter who needs a platoon partner) . He'll also be ready as soon as mid-season for action. If the Yankee 1st base situation melts down (and considering the cast of characters, that's pretty likely) by the summer, Miranda should be ready to step in and steady the ship. His poor defense is a concern, but it shouldn't be a problem until he gets a little older. Miranda is the first real power prospect to be on the brink of the majors with the Yankees since Alfonso Soriano.
