The first time that I saw Mariel Bautista, back in March of 2017, he stood out. He didn’t come out of nowhere – he had hit .330 as an 18-year-old in the Dominican Summer League the year before. He followed that up in 2017 by hitting .320 for the Arizona League Reds. The Cincinnati Reds promoted him in 2018, sending the 20-year-old to join the Billings Mustangs in the Pioneer League.
The Mustangs season didn’t begin until June 15th, but Mariel Bautista made the wait worth it. On opening day he went 2-3 with a triple, walk, steal, drove in a run, and he scored two runs. He would finish the first week of the season hitting .438 with three walks and just one strikeout. The next week got out to a slow start, going 0-13 with a walk and a strikeout in the first four games. He would finish out the month going 5-19 with three doubles. In 14 games during June the center fielder would hit .250/.302/.375 with three walks and five strikeouts. He would also add in three stolen bases in as many attempts.
July got out to a good start. In the first game of the month Mariel Bautista homered, his first of the year, and walked. Over the first five games of the month he hit .313 and slugged .625. But from July 6th through the 12th he didn’t play. When he returned to the lineup he hit .283 over the final 13 games of the month. In the 18 games played during the month he hit .290/.346/.493 with five walks and 11 strikeouts. He also stole four bases in five attempts.
After ending July riding a 2-game hitting streak, Mariel Bautista kept that going over the first week of August. In five games played in the first week he had multiple hits in each game, going 12-24 with five extra-base hits. With a seven game hit-streak going he kept on chugging along, extending it to 13 games the next week, going 8-24. From August 15th through the 22nd he didn’t play as he dealt with a shoulder issue after diving for a ball. When he returned on the 23rd he picked up where he left off, going 3-4 with a solo home run. Over the next 11 games he would keep his hit streak going and walk more than he struck out. He would hit .402/.461/.663 in the final 23 games of the season for Billings. And he would go 9-for-11 in stolen base attempts. His season would end while riding a 25-game hitting streak.
For all 2018 Season Reviews and Scouting Reports – click here (these will come out during the week throughout the offseason).
Mariel Bautista Spray Chart
Mariel Bautista Scouting Report
Hitting | Over the last three seasons, Mariel Bautista has hit .333, .320, and .330. He’s a guy who makes a ton of contact and can hit the ball hard. He projects for an above-average hit tool.
Power | The power really started to play in games during 2018 for Mariel Bautista. He shows above-average to plus power potential.
Speed | He’s an above-average to plus runner and he’s capable of using his speed well in the field and on the bases.
Defense | Mariel Bautista has spent most of his career in center field and he projects to remain there.
Arm | He has a solid-average arm that would play at any of the three outfield spots.
There’s a whole lot of things to like about Mariel Bautista. At the plate he’s got some size, strength, and bat speed. And he’s able to use those things well. His track record of a high average is always good to see, and he seems to just keep rising to the challenge at each level. He projects well for both average and power. And after a 2017 season where he didn’t walk much at all, his 2018 season saw his walk rate more than double, while his already low strikeout rate dropped even further.
His offensive profile would look good at any position, but when you toss in the fact that he’s also a center fielder, it looks even better. As a center fielder he’s got good speed and he’s improved his reactions at the position over the last few years. The only thing that’s keeping Mariel Bautista from being ranked higher at this point is his lack of experience beyond rookie ball. He’s got the potential to be a true 5-tool player at a premium position. And he’s done nothing but hit for his career. If he can do what he did in 2019 what he did in 2018, or anything close, he’s the type of guy who could not only vault up the Reds prospect rankings, but could find himself in some national rankings as well.
Longest Home Run of the Year
413 Feet on August 30th.
Interesting Stat of Mariel Bautista
Over the last two seasons he’s gone 32-for-36 in stolen base attempts. That’s a success rate of 89%.