In a surprising move, the Nationals promoted infield prospect Wilmer Difo to the majors yesterday when Jayson Werth hit the disabled list. In some ways it makes a lot of sense, as Difo was already on the 40-man roster and hitting well in the minors to start the season. This move reminds me of the Twins jumping Jorge Polanco to the majors last year to fill a need on their major league roster – opting to temporarily go with an unproven player already on the 40-man instead of shuffling the entire deck. Difo is still pretty raw, and raw prospects are a lot like raw eggs. All the “stuff” is there, but it’s usually a good idea to cook ’em. It’s uncertain exactly how the Nats will use him going forward given that their current infield seems to be working just fine. So while I don’t expect Difo to stick this year once the Nats get healthy, this presents us with a good opportunity to peek at his profile…
| 2015 Prospect List | Ranking |
|---|---|
| Razzball | #6 |
| Baseball America | #7 |
| Baseball Prospectus | #10 |
| Fangraphs | #7 |
Minor League Statistics
| Year | Age | Level | PA | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB% | K% | SB | CS | AVG | OBP | SLG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 20 | Rk | 235 | 33 | 52 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 13 | 14.5% | 14.9% | 19 | 5 | .263 | .374 | .328 |
| 2013 | 21 | A(ss)/A | 235 | 30 | 45 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 21 | 8.9% | 15.3% | 9 | 4 | .217 | .296 | .348 |
| 2014 | 22 | A | 610 | 91 | 176 | 31 | 7 | 14 | 90 | 6.1% | 10.7% | 49 | 9 | .315 | .360 | .470 |
| 2015 | 23 | A+/AA | 139 | 20 | 40 | 15 | 1 | 3 | 18 | 6.5% | 15.8% | 7 | 1 | .315 | .367 | .520 |
Difo ranked sixth on my Nationals Top 10 Prospects list. Here’s what I wrote about him there: “He finished second to his teammate Rafael Bautista in stolen bases in the South Atlantic League in 2014, swiping 49 bags at an 85% success rate. The 22-year-old can play both shortstop and second base well, and has more power than you’d expect. He won the South Atlantic League MVP award and frankly seemed to come out of nowhere. He’s a switch hitter, making good contact from both sides of the plate without striking out much. In fact, he had the fourth lowest strikeout percentage among qualified hitters in the Sally. He’ll get a chance to face tougher competition in the Carolina League this year and could really put himself on the prospect map with another strong season.”
With only about 60 plate appearances above A ball you’d expect Difo to be some 20-year-old, but in fact he’s 23. He was only recently promoted to Double-A Harrisburg after a brief stint at High-A Potomac. Difo has just refused to slow down and his early season numbers support last year’s breakout. In 56 Double-A plate appearances, the infielder was hitting .308/.309/.500 with eight doubles and three steals.
Given that he can play both second and short, Difo could conceivably spell both Ian Desmond and Danny Espinosa now and then if that’s how the Nats choose to use him. He has the double-plus speed to help immediately in the stolen base category (even if he only plays part time during this first stint) and his ability to make good contact will serve him well against major league pitching.
What’s the Move?
Difo’s 2014 breakout was well documented, so he’s likely already rostered in most dynasty formats. In deep redraft formats or NL-only leagues, he makes an interesting bench play (he appeared as a pinch-hitter last night and recorded his first MLB hit). In shallower redrafts he’s going to tempt fantasy owners with his video game numbers in the minors, but I’d play wait and see before scooping him up. There’s no clear path to playing time as there was with a guy like Rougned Odor last year, and Difo could end up back in the minors in a few weeks. As much as I like him and his long-term fantasy value, this feels like a temporary move by the Nationals and I don’t think Difo is ready to make a fantasy impact yet.
