Written by Greg Fertel
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02 June 2007
- Age: 20
- Height: 5'11"
- Weight: 160 lbs
- Acquired: Signed out of Venezuela at age 16
- 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 natural position. His arm is solid for a second baseman but it's causing him trouble at shortstop, but he does possess very good range at both short and second.
History: Corona emerged out of the Yankee's 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 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: The Yankees decided to give Corona a break with the utility job on a prospect-stacked Tampa team and settled him in at shortstop for the season. It's pretty well understood that Corona's major league future is at 2nd base or in a utility role, but the Yankees settled him in at shortstop.
Kevin Russo's presence may be the reason, but I'm willing to bet that the Yankees felt that Corona was a little bit more comfortable mentally at his natural position, and that this season was a season for his bat, not his glove. So far, he's yet to player another position. He has hit .277/.362/.356 with 14 stolen bases against just one caught stealing.
Outlook and Movement: Corona will probably the rest of 2007 with Tampa. He'll be right there with most of the Yankee minor league organization, where they can coach him through whatever struggles he finds during the season. They'll use the time to make a decision about his long term defensive position. Can he handle shortstop? Do they want to continue grooming him as a utility man? One big thing that they will work with Corona on is hitting left handed pitching. Over the past two seasons, Corona has hit .308/.380/.381 against right handed pitching and .241/.295/.298 against lefties - a problem very common for a young switch hitter. He just doesn't see enough lefties to learn how to hit them in the low minors.
Ranking: I've changed my mind on Corona. Before the season started, I didn't really expect to see a lot of walks coming out of him. I wasn't really considering his age. Corona is entering the period that hitting prospects usually develop the plate discipline that they will maintain throughout their careers. This season, he's walking at an 80 walk pace over 155 games. That's impressive considering that Corona has the ability to hit around .300. Corona isn't really in the power development stage of his career yet, but it's hard to expect him to slug much over .400. I think that if things work out reasonably well, Corona could become a Brian Roberts (when he's not playing the Yankees) type in the majors leagues. If things work out less, he could be a productive utility player not unlike Ryan Freel (though a little bit slower) in the majors. He's at least two years away from any sort of MLB duty, if not longer. Before the season, I wrote " If Corona can put up a similar batting line in 2007 within the murderous confines of Tampa, hell gain some points in my book." Once he comes out of the current slump that he's in, I expect a much better batting line this season out of Corona. That's worth a lot of points.
Next up: #18 Alberto Gonzalez
