Edgar Cabral was a surprising name to see on the list of Phillies prospects invited to major-league spring training. Who is he?
When the Phillies announced which prospects they were inviting to major-league spring training, Edgar Cabral was a name few people knew. He has just 153 games under his belt in three professional seasons. What made him worth inviting to camp?
Cabral was selected by Philadelphia in the 11th round of the 2015 draft out of junior college. There was little known about him besides a nice, line-drive generating swing. The team must have felt strongly about Cabral when they drafted him as they gave him the full $100,000 bonus allotted to picks after the 10th round.
Cabral hit well in his first professional season, slashing .281/.355/.406 as a 20-year-old in the GCL. He played just 24 games in 2016, not starting until late June with Lakewood and spending a few weeks on the disabled list.
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2017 started off rather innocuously for Cabral, hitting .243 with a .643 OPS in 67 games in Lakewood before a midseason promotion to Clearwater. His bat caught fire once he got there, hitting .310 with a .819 OPS in 24 games there. Most of the time hitters don’t post as gaudy numbers in the Florida State League, but it was the opposite with Cabral.
After that flash in the pan, Cabral was able to make his way onto the list of non-roster invitees. It’s a bit of surprise considering he has never played above High-A and is just 22 years old. However, there are things to like about his game.
While Cabral wasn’t know for his defense coming out of the draft, he took a step forward there in 2018. He was worth a combined 6.6 fielding runs above average between Lakewood and Clearwater last year after being below average the previous two years. He threw out 48 percent of potential base stealers as well.
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If Cabral can keep up his hitting pace from his short stint in Clearwater, he could become a decent catching prospect. A lot has to break right as his defense isn’t quite enough to carry him, but the club can see his potential.