Jose Siri did not have a good run of things in Dayton during 2016. After impressing in spring training, he looked to rebound as he returned to the Dragons in April of 2017. Things went better early on, but it was a month of hot-and-cold streaks. In the end, it was the cold streaks that carried the way. Siri managed to hit just .208/.284/.325. There were signs that he was a changed hitter, though. He drew seven walks and struck out just 19 times – showing significantly better performance in both areas than he had in 2016. Siri would also steal 11 bases.
Things began to turn around in May, but not without a first week struggle. In the second week of the month, Jose Siri would hit .320, going 8-25. That would set up the rest of the month for success, where the center fielder would go on an absolute tear through the Midwest League. In the final 12 games of the month he would hit .364/.408/.705 with three triples and three home runs. The strong finish to the month would put him at .309/.352/.474 in 25 games played during May. That came along with eight more steals, pushing his total to 19.
After missing the first few games of June, Jose Siri began the month by going 0-6 in his first two games played. He would then catch first for the next four games, hitting .438 but follow it up with an 0-14 stretch. On June 16th and 17th he would go 5-10 with two doubles and a home run. On the 18th he would go 0-3 and was hit by a pitch. The next day he would start up a hit streak that ran through the end of the month. From the 22nd through 30th he would hit .361 and slug .722 with four doubles and three home runs. For the month he would hit .294/.351/.576 and he’d tack on four stolen bases.
Jose Siri took an 8-game hitting streak into July. It would continue for the entire month and it started out in a big way. On the 1st, at home against Fort Wayne, the outfielder hit two home runs. Nearly four weeks later, on July 26th, in Lansing, he’d better the feat. He would go 3-4 with a double, walk, two more home runs and drive in four. Siri would have hits in all 28 games, hitting .344 with 10 home runs, six doubles and three triples. He would add another six steals to push his season total to 29. The hitting streak had climbed to 36 games, which broke the previous record of 35 set in 1977.
The hit streak would continue into August. Jose Siri extended it to 39 games after going 1-4 in each of the first three games of the month. In a drama-filled night against Great Lakes, the streak would end. He would get hits in the next six games before going into a little bit of a slump, going 0-11 in the next three games. That would be the end of the cold streaks, though. Siri would hit .308/.370/.631 over the final 16 games of the year. Over the last five weeks of the year he would hit .281/.341/.518. He would also add in 17 stolen bases in 18 attempts.
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Jose Siri Spray Chart
Jose Siri Scouting Report
Hitting | Jose Siri has an above-average hit tool. He can use the entire field, with power, and he’s got speed to burn and leg out infield hits.
Power | There’s plus raw power in his bat. The power isn’t just raw, though, he’s able to use plenty of it today – but there’s more in there. As you can see in the spray chart above, he can hit the ball out to all parts of the field.
Running | He’s a plus-plus runner and he knows how to use it on the bases and in the field.
Arm | Jose Siri has an above-average arm.
Defense | He’s a plus defender in center field. He shows good range in all directions and makes tough plays look easy.
After a slow start to the season, Jose Siri tore through the Midwest League from about Mid-May until the end of the season. He showed off some of the best all-around tools in Minor League Baseball along the way. The ceiling for Siri is that of a perennial All-Star center fielder with power, defense and speed among the best in the game for the position.
But, along with that ceiling comes plenty of risk. His pitch recognition skills, which have absolutely taken major steps forward in the last year, are still concerning at times. He struggles specifically against the slider, which he is prone to chase out of the zone. As a result, his strikeout-to-walk ratio leaves a bit to be desired. With that said, I do believe that things were better than the numbers indicate here, as he was clearly trying to force hits at times during his hitting streak on pitches he would have taken both earlier in the year, and later in the year. Still, it’s the one area of his game where he needs to continue to show improvement.