Keith Phaneuf

Sharing a few more blurbs from my 40 (non-top 100) breakout prospects article I released yesterday. Find the rest here prospectslive.com/juicys-40-pros… Albert Fermin, SS @astros Why He Made The List Like many multi million dollar international signees Fermin has drawn some crazy comps, but what separates Fermin is that he's a very fundamentally advanced player with extremely notable physical projection. Fermin draws rave reviews for his hittability, rare for a 6'3 teen, and his mature approach where he stays within himself. I've heard people go as high as plus potential on the hit tool and his levers don't look as long as you'd expect given the frame when he's hitting. SS is possible long term, though his plus arm would play well at 3B. Advanced, high make up, tooled up 6'3 SS with long track records of success aren't the worst profile to invest in. What Needs To Happen Fermin needs to prove he's still a nimble athlete at 6'3 and not slow down a ton, while flashing more in-game power and continuining to show his advanced approach. Much easier said than done. End OF Year Projection I think Fermin will likely be on a similar path to fellow org mate where the results will be good, but the power won't fully show up yet in-game and the defense will be better than expected but still raise some long term questions. I expect Fermin to be a popular breakout pick this time next year, but not yet a top 100 prospect.