Keury De La Cruz

De La Cruz made a huge leap at Low-A Greenville in 2012, showing improvement at the plate including his power production. His hitting coach at Greenville cited De La Cruz's daily focus on his hands and generating bat speed during batting practice. He has an aggressive approach, but showed improvement by working deeper into counts. De La Cruz's body filled out some and he was moved from center field to the corner last season, making it crucial for him to continue to refine his approach and improve his offensive game as he advances.

De La Cruz had a full year at Short-Season Lowell in 2011, improving some on his plate discipline, but still has a lot of work to do there. The swing itself needs work as well. He has some pop in his bat, but he has a medium build and projects extra-base power. De La Cruz will remain in center field for now as defense is considered is greatest attribute at this point in his career. Look for him to open the year at Low-A Greenville, where he should grab a starting job. We'll looking for more improvement at the plate: being more relaxed, being more selective, and leveling off his swing.

De La Cruz, 19, showed some promise for Boston's rookie-level club in the Gulf Coast League and should earn himself promotion to Short-Season Lowell in 2011 after a run in extended spring training. Like most young players, he's too aggressive at the plate and swings at questionable pitches, but he's a good athlete with all the tools. De La Cruz drives the ball well and generates doubles power at this point. His main goal in 2011 is to build on the foundation and start to polish his skills.