The Milwaukee Brewers completed a deal that sent reliever Francisco Rodriguez to the Baltimore Orioles for prospect Nick Delmonico on Tuesday, according to Dayn Perry of CBSSports.com.
Delmonico is a 21-year-old infielder from Tennessee who was drafted in the sixth round of the 2011 MLB draft by the Orioles. He was tabbed as the No. 4 prospect in the Orioles’ organization by Baseball America after the 2012 campaign.
Delmonico was drafted straight out of Farragut High School in Knoxville. Since then, he has played Low-A ball and High-A ball for the Orioles.
In 2012 with Low-A Delmarva, Delmonico batted .249 with 11 home runs, 54 RBI, 49 runs and eight stolen bases in 95 games (338 at-bats). In 2013 with High-A Frederick, Delmonico has batted .244 with 13 home runs, 30 RBI, 33 runs and five stolen bases in 60 games (225 at-bats).
While Delmonico’s average isn’t much to write home about, his OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage) of .822 would rank eighth in the Carolina League this season if he had enough at-bats to qualify. He ranks 19th in the league with 36 walks and fifth with 13 bombs.
On the major league level, Delmonico posted one hit in five plate appearances in spring training for the Orioles in 2012. He’s notched defensive innings at first base, second base and third base as a pro.
There is still a lot of room for Delmonico to grow. As a high schooler with Farragut, he led the Admirals to four consecutive championships, finishing his career with a .450 batting average and 45 home runs, and setting school records in single-season RBI and walks, and career walks.
There are some durability issues surrounding Delmonico, however. He’s battled numerous injuries dating back to high school, from his wrist to his back to his knee. He also sustained a concussion in April.
The lowdown on the young infielder is that he has pop at the plate, and his ability to draw walks makes him more valuable than his low batting average would indicate.
Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com