Estevan Florial is a gifted player, of that there can be no doubt. A 70-grade player (All-Star center fielder) is seen as the overall future potential for him, according to Baseball Prospectus.
However, in Low-A, a 31.9 percent strikeout rate raises some questions.
Assuaging some of the doubts about his strikeout proclivity, Florial’s .297/.373/.483 slash line has earned him a spot among the best young prospects in the minor leagues.
For his future, there are still questions to be answered. To begin, will this be an issue as he moves up the minor league ranks? Will his high strikeout rate persist even if he continues to hit better pitchers?
Mitchell Gunsolus of the Red Sox system (32.7% rate,.205/.347/.286 in 431 PA) and Khalil Lee of the Royals (32.1% rate, .237/.344/.430 in 532 PA) both had higher strikeout rates in the South Atlantic League in 2017.
The fact that neither Gunsolus nor Lee were able to match Florial’s 2017 output is noteworthy. In spite of his high rate of walk-offs, Florial was capable of producing a batting average in the neighborhood of .300.
Florial has figured out a method around the conventional association between strikeouts and batting average.
His .431 BABIP in 91 Sally league games was aided by his exceptional power (which helps him hit the ball hard) and quickness (which enables him to beat out infield singles).
What Happened Estevan Florial?
During spring training in 2019, he fractured his wrist. Florial only appeared in 158 games between his 20th and 21st seasons combined, meaning he missed out on critical developmental time.