De La Rosa signed with the Nationals for $300K in last year’s international signing period, a bonus figure that looks very reasonable considering the advanced physicality and power potential he has shown to date. He started turning heads during instructs—it was impressive the team thought highly enough of him to bring him stateside last fall at all—and has done more of the same this year in Extended Spring Training.

Listed at 5-foot-11 and 160 pounds, the 17-year-old outfielder is very built for his age with a frame that’s already fairly mature. That strength gives more present ability to drive the ball than most teenage hitters. The ball jumps off his bat with tall lines, showing towering pop ups across my two-game backfields look that hint at future power. De La Rosa has a rotational swing from a deep crouch that incorporates his lower half well, staying well-synced with his hands and hips through contact. He’s still learning to ID off-speed stuff and square up spin, like most hitters this age. Some scouts felt he could play CF early in his career, but a frame that’s already wide likely fits better on an outfield corner. De La Rosa moved between LF and RF in my looks, showing close to an average arm. Whether he throws better or worse than where he’s at now depends on how his body and flexibility develop through final physical maturity.

Most higher-level J2 hitting prospects are surefire center-diamond types, attractive because they’re athletic enough to play up-the-middle with some offensive aspect that intrigues evaluators. De La Rosa doesn’t fit that mold, as most of his future value is shaping up to be at the plate. All players in this age range and stage of development are risky—doubly true for those that will have to hit to have value. Even so, this type of power potential at age 17 is pretty uncommon, and that upside outweighs the uncertainty enough to mark De La Rosa as a prospect right now.