Pittsburgh Pirates: The All-Under-20 Prospect Team

First Base: Alexander Mojica

The Pittsburgh Pirates signed corner infielder Alexander Mojica on August 2nd, 2018. Mojica is primarily a third baseman but has played plenty of experience at first base. Plus he has very poor defense at the hot corner, which will eventually necessitate a move over to first, especially if and when he adds a few more pounds of muscle. The offensive potential is what is his big attraction.

Mojica’s first professional season was great. He batted .351/.468/.580 with a .491 wOBA, and 182 wRC+. Mojica showed a ton of power. He blasted 8 home runs, had a .230 ISO, and 89 MPH exit velocity. Remember, this is his age-16 season. An 89 MPH exit velo at that age is very impressive. George Springer has a career average exit velo of 89.4 MPH. He also walked a ton with a phenomenal 17% walk rate and a strikeout rate of just 15%.

The slugger isn’t doing all that well at High-A Bradenton. Mojica has hit just .212/.326/.331 with a .321 wOBA, and 86 wRC+. He hasn’t shown much power and is striking out at a 25.2% rate. He’s still walking at a great 12.8% rate.

Though Mojica has a ton of offensive potential. He has a 55-future grade hit tool, game power tool, and raw power tool. Mojica is already a strong 6’1″, 195 pounds. According to FanGraphs, he has a balanced leg kick, a strong and fast swing, and great peripherals. While it’s going to be his bat that gets him to the bigs, he has the potential to do so.