Yohandy Morales Stats & Scouting Report — College Baseball, MLB Draft, Prospects

AB	26
AVG	.231
OBP	.344
SLG	.385
HR	1

Full name Yohandy Morales
Born 10/09/2001 in Miami, FL
Profile Ht.: 6'4" / Wt.: 209 / Bats: R / Throws: R
School Miami
Drafted in the 2nd round (40th overall) by the Washington Nationals in 2023 (signed for $2,600,000).

View Draft Report

School: Miami Source: 4YR

Commit/Drafted: Never Drafted
Age At Draft: 21.8
BA Grade:55/Extreme
Tools:Hit: 45. Power: 60. Run: 45. Field: 50. Arm: 60.

Morales was a talented and toolsy high school prospect who ranked as the No. 77 overall player in the 2020 draft class. He made it to campus at Miami, where he initially split time at shortstop and third base, before sliding over to the hot corner full time. Morales is a large, athletic righthanded hitter with a 6-foot-4, 225-pound frame that has plenty of strength now, but still room to add good weight in the future. He’s been a consistent producer for the Hurricanes and is a career .341/.412/.624 hitter over 172 games with 46 home runs. Morales takes big hacks, and starts his swing with a bit of a hand hitch before firing through the zone with a lengthy bat path. He has plus raw power that he generates with little effort in batting practice, and generates tons of damage on contact with a 94.2 mph average exit velocity in 2023 and a 108.9 mph 90th percentile mark. Morales has pure hit questions thanks to both the length of his swing and his pitch recognition. He chases out of the zone frequently and has long seemed to struggle identifying breaking balls, which leads him to getting out in front and off-balance at times. He missed 20% of the time vs. fastballs in 2023 compared to a 37% whiff rate on breaking balls. Morales is an average runner who has solid defensive tools at third, including solid mobility, athleticism and plus arm strength. He’ll need to become more consistent in the field and could potentially slow down as he adds strength to an already large frame.

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

BA Grade: 55/Very High

Track Record: Morales ranked No. 77 in the 2020 draft class but made it to Miami out of high school. As a freshman, he stepped into the Hurricanes’ lineup and added pop at the plate and a steady arm at third base. His sophomore season was more of the same. He led the team in doubles, home runs, slugging and RBIs. Morales played for USA Baseball’s Collegiate National Team in 2022 and led Team USA in most offensive numbers. This power and production led to the Nationals to draft him 40th overall in 2023 and sign him for an above-slot $2.6 million. Morales appeared in 42 games in his pro debut, mostly at Low-A and High-A, but when the Class A seasons finished, he moved to Double-A Harrisburg for the final four games.

Scouting Report: Morales, who also goes by “Yoyo,” already has strength on his 6-foot-4, 250-pound frame. He inherits some of his athleticism from father Andy, who defected from Cuba and spent 2001 and 2002 as a minor leaguer with Yankees and Red Sox. Morales’ swing generates a ton of damage on contact with an average exit velocity of nearly 91 mph during his pro debut. He has a longer swing and locks out his front arm, which could be adding to some of his swing-and-miss issues. Defensively, Morales has flashed solid tools, but he struggles to throw on the run. He is an average runner, which is surprising given his athleticism. If he added even more strength, it is likely that he will slow even more. A move to first base could be in Morales’ future.

The Future: Morales has good bat-to-ball skills for a power hitter but could use more repetition to make more contact. He will likely start the season with Double-A and focus on defensive reps before he advances.

Scouting Grades Hit: 45 | Power: 55 | Run: 45 | Field: 50 | Arm: 60

Draft Prospects

School: Miami Source: 4YR

Commit/Drafted: Never Drafted
Age At Draft: 21.8
BA Grade:55/Extreme
Tools:Hit: 45. Power: 60. Run: 45. Field: 50. Arm: 60.

Morales was a talented and toolsy high school prospect who ranked as the No. 77 overall player in the 2020 draft class. He made it to campus at Miami, where he initially split time at shortstop and third base, before sliding over to the hot corner full time. Morales is a large, athletic righthanded hitter with a 6-foot-4, 225-pound frame that has plenty of strength now, but still room to add good weight in the future. He’s been a consistent producer for the Hurricanes and is a career .341/.412/.624 hitter over 172 games with 46 home runs. Morales takes big hacks, and starts his swing with a bit of a hand hitch before firing through the zone with a lengthy bat path. He has plus raw power that he generates with little effort in batting practice, and generates tons of damage on contact with a 94.2 mph average exit velocity in 2023 and a 108.9 mph 90th percentile mark. Morales has pure hit questions thanks to both the length of his swing and his pitch recognition. He chases out of the zone frequently and has long seemed to struggle identifying breaking balls, which leads him to getting out in front and off-balance at times. He missed 20% of the time vs. fastballs in 2023 compared to a 37% whiff rate on breaking balls. Morales is an average runner who has solid defensive tools at third, including solid mobility, athleticism and plus arm strength. He’ll need to become more consistent in the field and could potentially slow down as he adds strength to an already large frame.
Morales is a big, physical, toolsy shortstop with big league bloodlines. His father, Andy, played in the majors and Morales likely has the same pure talent to follow in his footsteps. Morales matured physically quicker than most of his contemporaries and showed an impact righthanded bat as an underclassman. Now listed at 6-foot-4, 195 pounds, Morales still has room to fill out and add strength, but he’ll need more refinement in his game to make the most of his impressive tool set. Last summer, Morales showed an ambush approach with a strong tendency to pull the ball and he also struggled significantly with offspeed offerings, swinging and missing out of the zone at a moderate rate. Having his spring season shortened hurt Morales, as scouts were impressed with the growth he showed in his first few games. In those looks, scouts saw a better approach at the plate with a more direct swing, with fewer whiffs and much better contact ability. While the pitching competition wasn’t as consistently strong as he would see on the showcase circuit, South Florida is generally one of the better areas for high school baseball and this season is no different. Morales has plus raw power, but there are questions of how frequently he’ll be able to tap into that. Defensively, he has plus arm strength, though he lacks the foot speed and short-area quickness that teams want to see in a shortstop. He has long actions and a slow exchange at times, which will probably make him a better fit for third base. Morales could be a second- or third-round pick based on his talent upside, but if teams are concerned with the risk he comes with, he could make it to campus at Miami.

Career Transactions

3B Yohandy Morales assigned to Fredericksburg Nationals from FCL Nationals.
3B Yohandy Morales assigned to Fredericksburg Nationals from FCL Nationals.
3B Yohandy Morales assigned to FCL Nationals.
Washington Nationals signed 3B Yohandy Morales.

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