The 19-year-old outfielder was named ACL MVP in 2024
5. Robert Calaz (688 points, 28 ballots)
Calaz’s meteoric rise up the Purple Row Prospects list continues into the top five after a very strong stateside debut in 2024, during which he was named the MVP of the Arizona Complex League. The 19-year-old Dominican outfielder received Colorado’s top international signing bonus in the 2023 January period at $1.7 million, which is similar to what fellow PuRP Sean Sullivan received as a second-round pick in the 2023 MLB Draft. The 6’2” right-handed slugger, who was 24th on MLB.com’s international amateur free agent prospect rankings for 2023, has above-average power and speed.
In 2023, Calaz was assigned to the Dominican Summer League’s DSL Rockies squad. Calaz hit .325/.423/.561 with seven homers (tied for fifth in the league) and 21 extra-base hits in 189 PA (155 wRC+) in his first professional action, showing immediate mastery of the league. That included a massive 1.240 OPS against left-handed pitching. Calaz mostly played center field with a little of right field mixed in, committing six errors in 38 games.
In 2024, Calaz came stateside to play with the Arizona Complex League, where he was 1.8 years younger than league average, and flat-out murdered the ball. In 210 PA with the ACL team, Calaz hit ten homers among his 27 extra-base hits with 12 steals in 13 attempts en route to a monster .349/.462/.651 line, good for a 173 wRC+. He led the ACL in several major offensive categories (AVG/OBP/SLG/OPS/HR/RBI/TB) en route to a well-deserved league MVP award. The Rockies promoted Calaz to Low-A Fresno in early August, where he was 3.1 years younger than league average. That didn’t stop Calaz — he hit .327/.386/.571 with two homers, two triples, two doubles, and three steals in 57 plate appearances (145 wRC+).
The only red flag last season for Calaz is a strikeout % of 24% (28% in Low A), but at least his walk % is in the teens (14%, 9% in Low A). In the field, Calaz split time between center (27 games, one error) and right field (29 games, three errors) with two outfield assists at each position.
Here is a look at Calaz from his brief time in Fresno, including some slow-mo looks at his swing:
Baseball Prospectus put Calaz 49th on their pre-season top 101 prospects list last month. That ranked third in the system, where Calaz was given a 60 OFP grade by Jeffrey Paternostro:
Calaz seemed a pretty easy scout last year, but nevertheless we underranked him. He hit the ball incredibly hard for a 17-year-old, but his contact rate in the DSL suggested better pitching would really undo his swing. Well, he came stateside and hit the ball incredibly hard for an 18-year-old, but made more contact than we expected in the process, making it all the way to full-season ball by the end of the 2024 season. It’s a pretty simple setup with a high back elbow creating a steep swing path that can really do damage in the air when he barrels one in the zone, but while Calaz’s ‘A’ swing is impressive, there’s really no ‘B’ swing a lot of the time, which can lead to in-zone whiff if the pitch isn’t where he expects, or topped/mishit contact even when he tracks it all right.
The thing is, even Calaz’s mishits sound loud, and there just aren’t a lot of teenaged prospects with this combination of damage potential and minor league production, even if it’s come only in the complex and Cal League. I think there is more in the tank here, too. Calaz has already reshaped his body some from last season—not really a surprise for a 17-year-old getting his first couple seasons of professional S+C work—and I’m more confident he will add even more strength and stick on the grass than I was at this time last year. It’s far more likely to be right field than center—he split time at both in 2024—but that’s better than first base or DH, and while the contact rate is still concerning, if he can maintain even this for another year at a higher level, Calaz will be one of the premier outfield prospects in baseball.
Calaz continues to show impressive power for his age, now we just need to see if he can hit upper-minors pitching in a year or two. That’s not that hard, tell ‘em Wash.
Keith Law of the Athletic ranked Calaz 6th in the system earlier this month:
Calaz is a five-tool player who led the Arizona Complex League in batting average, OBP, and slugging, as well as homers and something called RBI, I don’t really know what that stands for or why we would care about it. Anyway, he’s incredibly talented physically but his baseball acumen lags behind his tools, as he didn’t come into pro ball with much experience, which shows up on things like reads in center or running the bases. He’s a physical kid with broad shoulders and is going to end up really strong, while he’s already showing power the other way and will at least take some pitches. He did steal 15 bases in 16 attempts last year in 62 games between the complex and Low A, but he runs closer to average than plus, with a lot of effort to the way he does it, a sign he’ll probably end up just a 50 runner. He is in center now and should stay there as long as he’s able; the 30-homer upside is too good to pass up.
Eric Longenhagen of Fangraphs ranked Calaz as a 40+ FV player last month (10th in the system), highlighted by a plus-plus future grade on his raw power, a plus arm, and even a plus future fielding grade:
Calaz had among the best present raw power in the 2023 international signing class and he has reinforced that assessment so far in pro ball, as he has 19 homers in 105 career games and has posted peak exit velocities (113 mph max, 109 EV90) that would be plus on the big league scale, let alone for a teenage hitter. He clubbed his way off the complex in 2024, spending the final three weeks of the season at Low-A Fresno, and is now a career .336/.436/.603 hitter with 54 extra-base hits in 105 mostly rookie-level games.
The power aspect of Calaz’s profile is for real. Perhaps what is most absurd is how much thump he can generate without a leg kick — he starts with a very wide stance and uses just a little toe tap to get going. A very loose athlete, Calaz rotates with verve and ferocity, but in order to do so, his hips often clear very early, leaving him vulnerable to sliders away from him. This is a pretty serious issue already. Calaz ran a paltry 66% contact rate in 2024, worse than all but one qualified big leaguer (Zack Gelof). There are a handful of very toolsy whiff-prone power hitters in that contact rate area, including Christopher Morel and Logan O’Hoppe, both of whom are sound build/frame comps for Calaz. And Calaz projects to have raw power similar to other players in that group, like Brent Rooker and Adolis García. There’s 35-homer ceiling here, but there’s also a lot of bust risk because of how many rookie-level strikeouts we’re talking about.
MLB.com ranked Calaz 9th in the system as a 45 Future Value player during the 2024 season, highlighted by 55 grades on his power and speed:
While many young players from the international market scream projection but lack present strength, Calaz is already very physical. The power was showing up a little bit during his debut, but that’s just scratching the surface of unlocking his right-handed raw pop. He’s developed the beginnings of a pretty good approach with a feel to hit, too, allaying some early concerns about his abilities to find the barrel consistently.
Calaz is still learning his body and how to use it efficiently, but he’s an above-average runner and has the chance to stay in center field. A move to a corner could happen in the future if he slows down, but for now, the Rockies are mostly working with him on slowing the game down and helping him to learn about routines and preparations to maximize his very loud tools.
Calaz was recently ranked as the #125 prospect, 3rd in the system, by ESPN.com, albeit without further commentary.
Calaz has that five-tool juice and he displayed it in spades during an electric 2024 stateside debut. Scouts are skeptical of Calaz’s ability to stay in the field long-term, but for now he’s capable of hanging in center field. They have no skepticism about his power, which has manifested quite well so far. At the end of the day, plus right-handed power is tough to come by, and the big signing bonus Calaz got is proof positive of its market value.
Calaz is clearly a high ceiling player who is a few years away, but his dominance in his first exposure to Low-A is encouraging. I see the Rockies sending him back to Fresno this year, with a Spokane appearance later in the season likely. I ranked Calaz ninth on my list as a 45 FV player because of the performance, signing bonus, and his ability to play a passable center field. I suspect he’ll be in my top five by mid-season if this trajectory continues.