The Reds made a rather quiet signing in May of 2013 when they went to Mexico and plucked up 21-year-old outfielder Sebastian Elizalde from Monterrey in the Mexican Pacific League. Before playing a game though, Elizalde underwent Tommy John surgery.
In 2014 he got his career in the US started with the Dayton Dragons and he crushed the ball in the first half of the season, hitting .311/.439/.503 before being promoted to Advanced-A Bakersfield in the second half. He held his own in the California League, but saw his production drop off.
The 2015 season got out to a very slow start. In April the outfielder hit just .235/.253/.383 with just three walks and 22 strikeouts. Things began to tick up in May as Elizalde hit .279/.344/.387 with 11 walks and 25 strikeouts. Since May 27th, the Mexican native has been on fire at the plate. In 160 plate appearances he’s hit .304/.394/.548 with 18 walks and 25 strikeouts to go along with 14 doubles, two triples and five home runs.
That six week stretch has pushed his overall line to .278/.337/.450 on the season with 22 doubles, four triples and eight home runs. His .788 OPS ranks third in the league, he leads the league in RBI with 57, is fourth in doubles, fourth in triples and 8th in home runs. His .788 OPS is 137 points higher than the league average, as the Florida State League continues to watch it’s OPS drop.
At 23-years-old Sebastian Elizalde isn’t young for his level, and he’s performing at a very high rate right now. His April was rather slow, but he’s been a very strong hitter ever since and he’s performed at nearly 300 points better in OPS than the league average over the last six weeks. Looking ahead of him to Pensacola, the outfield is full with five outfielders. That would likely mean that someone there would also need to be promoted to make room for him, but if that does happen look for Elizalde to move on up.