Meeting New International Free Agent Signing Shalin Polanco
The Pittsburgh Pirates have been known for their work in the international free-agent market in the 21st century. Two of their most notable signings have been Starling Marte and Gregory Polanco, who have both impacted the Big League club. Well, the International Free Agent signing period began this morning, and the Pirates kicked things off with a bang signing one of the top prospects. They inked 16-year-old outfield prospect, Shalin Polanco,o to a deal that includes a $2.35 million signing bonus. He was ranked as the top international free agent outfield prospect and the 8th best overall prospect by MLB Pipeline.
It is another in a line of big signings by Pirates Head of International Signing Junior Vizcaino. Vizcaino was hired in 2017 and has brought in guys like Sergio Campana, Alexander Mojica, and Rodolfo Nolasco. However, this is probably the biggest signing of Vizcaino's career as Polanco is highly regarded by Scouts across the league and across the world. At 16-years-old, he still has plenty of time to develop and stands at 6'0 and 170 pounds. He has plenty of speed, and projects as a center fielder for the future for the Pirates. Today, we look at Polanco's tools and predict where he starts his journey through the Pirates Minor League system.
Shalin Polanco's Tools
The Pirates have been known for their ability to develop outfielders in recent years, and Shalin Polanco will give them another opportunity to do just that. At just 16-years old there is still time for him to grow into his six-foot-170-pound frame and develop into a plus outfielder. His two top tools are his speed and his bat as he makes consistent contact and grades out as a 60 in future run. He has shown positive points on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball, and by working with the Pirates staff, he can develop into a top prospect outfielder. He will be looking to be the next Starling Marte type player that comes up and impacts the Major League club.
On the offensive side of the ball, one of the things that Polanco has been noted for is his knowledge of the strike zone. While he can be aggressive at times, he tends to stay inside himself and go after pitches that are in or right on the edge of the strike zone. He isn't going to swing at a lot of bad pitches and he will make the pitcher have to work. There is some power potential that has been noted by some of his scouts, and more could develop in the future. His line-drive ability had scouts excited, and when he hits the ball he hits it hard. His 55 hit grade is encouraging, and if he continues to hit line drives on a consistent basis, he could develop into a top prospect in the Pirates system.
His speed also tends to play well on the defensive side, helping him make a lot of the plays in center field. He is still young and is working on making better route decisions, but that will come with time. His arm strength grades out as a 50 and the ball seemingly flies out of his hand according to scouts. They say he is inaccurate right now, but with everyday instruction that should begin to improve. Polanco will be 17 by the time the 2021 season rolls around and he will be getting an early start in the organization. The Pirates will work with him to better his accuracy and improve his routes, and he should project to be a solid center field prospect.
Where Will Shalin Polanco Begin?
The big question with these international signings is not necessarily where they will start, but with which Rookie Ball team do they go to? The Pirates have three different rookie ball leagues, two DSL Pirates and one GCL Pirates team, too chose from. Given Polanco's age, I would guess they would start him in the Dominican Summer League. At 17-years-old, he would be one of the youngest prospects in the system. The DSL would give him a chance to continue his development and get instruction every single day. Expect him to stay in the DSL for at least two seasons as his body continues to develop and change along with his game.
If I had to give an ETA of when we could see him in a Pirates uniform, my guess would be around the 2025 or 2026 season we could see Polanco in the Big Leagues. Below Travis Swaggerty and Cal Mitchell, the next generation of outfield talent starts to go thin. The remaining top prospects after those two are Sammy Siani (Rookie Ball), Lolo Sanchez (Class Low-A), and Matt Gorski (Low-A). Polanco has a chance to insert himself into this group and be part of the future generation of Pirates outfielders. Everything has to go right, and there is a long road ahead of him, but we could see him in the Pirates outfield at PNC Park one day.
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