Luis Rengifo

Position: SS
Level: Double-A
Affiliate: Mobile BayBears
League: Southern League
Born: 02/26/1997 (Age: 27)
Height: 5'10"
Weight: 165
B/T: Both / Right
Acquired: Signed as international free agent July 8, 2013 (SEA)

Prospect Spotlight

Despite being just 21-years-old, the Angels are Renfigo’s third organization. He originally signed as a 16 year-old with Seattle for $360K  in 2013, was traded to the Rays in a minor deal last August, and acquired by the Angels in March as the PTBNL in the C.J. Cron (1B, Rays) trade. The fire-hydrant framed Venezuelan middle infielder is torching the Southern League to the tune of .341/.453/.537 slash line with 11 steals while walking (13%) more than he strikes out (9%). I saw the switch-hitter June 9-12 in Mobile.

Rengifo projects to an average hit tool, with a short, direct stroke geared for consistent contact from both sides of the plate. He keeps his hands in and lets the ball travel, using his strong wrists to flick line drives to the opposite field, using all fields from the left side. From the right, limited looks showed an up-the-middle approach with less swing plane and impact. From either side of the plate, he’s a patient hitter with good knowledge of the strike zone, works deep into counts, and can find the barrel with two strikes. He adds sneaky 45 game power from the left and 40 from the right. As he advances, the K-rate may bump up some, and the walk rate decline, as advanced arms will push Rengifo’s hit tool and potentially expose him deep into counts.

He’s limited defensively, lacking the footwork and arm for shortstop. His 45 arm fits best at second base where his lateral movement limits him to a 45 glove. Rengifo can absorb innings at 3B in a bench role, where his feet work better, but the arm isn’t there for regular play at the position. His steals come more on instinct than raw speed, as he’s only a fringe-average runner. Rengifo is a potential utility player, and he’s a fairly safe bet to reach a FV 40 bench ceiling as a hit-first reserve.