Liover Peguero

Peguero got his first significant sample in the majors in 2023, splitting his time almost exactly evenly between second base and shortstop. From a strictly fantasy perspective, he showed plenty of intrigue by racking up seven homers and six stolen bases in only 213 plate appearances. Those marks would suggest he has 20-20 potential, though there are red flags in his profile that call into question his ability to maintain a full-time job at the big-league level. First was his spiked strikeout rate. Throughout much of his minor-league career, Peguero struck out at a rate in the high teens or low 20s. During his first stint in Pittsburgh, that jumped to 31 percent. Regarded as at least an average defender by most scouting reports, Peguero struggled in that regard as well by delivering well below-average marks in defensive runs saved and range. Despite those warning signs, the Pirates don't have a clear plan at second base, and Peguero could get the first chance at the job. Given his prospect pedigree and surface-level success, he's a worthwhile dart throw in deeper draft formats.

Peguero made his ever-so-brief big-league debut in mid-June after Tucupita Marcano was placed on the COVID-19 injured list. However, the majority of his campaign was spent at Double-A Altoona. He posted a disappointing 88 wRC+ across 521 plate appearances at the level, which was highlighted by a dip in power production (.128 ISO, .306 wOBA). On the other hand, Peguero managed to balance that with a dip in strikeout rate (21.7 percent). Both of those skills align with his scouting report, which values his hit tool over power production. His standout skill projects to be his speed, and he backed that with 28 stolen bases and just six caught stealings in 2022. The Pirates move their prospects slowly, so Peguero will almost certainly begin 2023 with Triple-A Indianapolis. Rodolfo Castro and potentially Ji-Hwan Bae are the primary players blocking Peguero's path to the majors, though he could ultimately be in a race to Pittsburgh with fellow top prospect Nick Gonzales.

The emergence of Oneil Cruz and Nick Gonzales as top-20 prospects has pushed Peguero a bit to the side, but there is still a lot to like. He slashed .270/.332/.444 with 14 home runs and 28 steals on 34 tries as a 20-year-old at High-A, good for a 108 wRC+. Peguero lacks one really loud tool, but he is average or better across the board. His 25.2 K% was higher than the rates he registered at recent stops, and his 49.8 GB% was still too high, although it was an improvement on his marks from 2019. Peguero is a good enough defender to play every day at shortstop or second base, and if he gets the playing time, he should chip in double-digit steals while hitting double-digit home runs. Making better swing decisions will be critical as he heads to Double-A this year. Peguero was added to the 40-man roster this offseason to protect him from the Rule 5 draft.

Shipped from Arizona to Pittsburgh in last offseason's Starling Marte trade, Peguero has yet to play an official minor-league game for his new club. He made a good impression at the alternate training site and looks like the Pirates' probable shortstop of the future. At 6-foot-1, 160 pounds, Peguero has room to add good weight in the coming years. He has only ever slugged over .360 in the hitter-friendly Dominican Summer League (2018) and the extremely hitter-friendly Pioneer League (2019). He will play in several other pitcher-friendly home ballparks as he moves up the organizational ladder, so we may not get a good sense of his power potential until he reaches the majors. For now, he has a chance to be a plus hitter with enough speed to steal 15-plus bases. He should open his age-20 season at High-A and could finish the year at Double-A.

Peguero was a pretty hot commodity last summer when he was excelling in the hitter-friendly Pioneer League, logging a 153 wRC+ -- his .448 BABIP was not supported by his 54.7 GB%. His production fell closer to the scouting report after a promotion to the Northwest League, where he was roughly league average (101 wRC+). While his numbers with Hillsboro are hardly impressive at first glance, Peguero is a good prospect because he should stick at shortstop while developing average power and utilizing above-average speed on the bases. His hit tool has a chance to be plus, as he gets the bat into the zone in a hurry and uses the whole field. He will also take his walks (8.0 BB%). Peguero needs to eventually make a slight adjustment to his launch angle (GB% north of 53%), but if he does he could be a starting shortstop who logs 15/15 seasons while hitting over .275.