2024 Cleveland Guardians Prospect Scouting Report: #44 OF Jose Pirela

Pirela is a lesser-talked about international FA that has some variance, but exciting physical tools

Jose Pirela Bio

• Age (2024 season): 18

• Acquired: International FA (2023)

• 2023 Level: DSL Rookie

• Height: 6’3

• Weight: 180

• Bats: Left

• Throws: Right

Jose Pirela 2023 Stats

• PA: 185

• AVG/OBP/SLG: .270/.395/.480

• 2B: 11

• HR: 6

• SB: 8/11

• K%/BB%: 21.6%/13.5%

• wRC+: 129

Jose Pirela 2023 Scouting Grades

• Hit: 40

• Power: 55

• Speed: 55

• Defense: 50

• Arm: 55

• Overall: 35 

• Risk: Extreme

• ETA: 2029

Build & Background

Pirela is a member of the Guardians 2023 international free agent class from Maracaibo, Venezuela, and signed for $320,000. Lean, projectable frame with wiry strength now and the ability to grow into it and add more. Moderately long limbed.

What Pirela Does Well

Physically, Pirela is more gifted than most teenage international free agents Cleveland has signed. Most international prospects that are listed at smaller heights and weights when signed and don’t have their information updated for a few years. Pirela, signed at 17, is already listed at 6’3 and 180 and looks every bit of it. It’s an exciting, projectable frame with some present day strength and ability to see him adding more. On the non-physical side, tools wise, Pirela has a swing geared for fly balls already, and he pulls plenty of them for now. He already may have above average game power and could have plus raw power, especially given his fly ball/pull tendencies now. Projecting above average is aggressive as it is, so not giving him plus yet is banking on some regression stateside as I’ll mention below. He doesn’t have much of a weight transfer, not using a leg kick or really a toe tap and already does a fair amount of damage. Pirela has an above average arm in the field and it should play in right field. He played plenty in center in 2023 in the DSL, so I’m assuming he has the speed to do it now without really being able to see. Walks are just so impossible to guess translating from the lower levels, even Triple-A to MLB now, but I’ll at least note Pirela walked enough to notice the skill in the rookie leagues.

Where Pirela Needs to Improve

A strikeout rate of 21.6% won’t alarm anyone on the surface, but consider that he’ll face better pitching as he goes up and generally strikeouts increase as you move up levels, not decrease, especially for players that are 6’3 and have somewhat longish levers. Now, the good ones won’t see their rates jump starkly, but they probably will some. So it’s fair to assume Pirela may not make the most amount of contact, but it’s hard to know without good direct game film and further data. We’ll keep an eye on how much Pirela fills out that 6’3 frame, because too much bulk could move him into a corner and slow him down as a runner, but that potentially might move him down to average.

Key Stats

42.9% fly ball rate, 50% pull rate. Pulled fly balls are the best way to do damage as a hitter in baseball, no matter how much power you have. Pirela has the strength and size to look the part. So if his swing helps him maximize that, there’s something interesting here. But take caution not to take complex league data seriously, like at all. But it’s fun to look at and dream on and see if it continues. This at least gives us something to watch for.

Intangibles

Hard to say physical tools are intangibles, because you can measure height, weight, speed, etc. But a teenager at that size isn’t something we see much in Cleveland a ton, so that’s why it stands out.

Future

Obviously, I’ve written a lot more narrative here on Pirela than actual scouting. It’s highly data based with just some of his own instagram clips he’s posted to look at some things. But it’s easy to see the physical build and be intrigued by a soon to be 18 year old outfielder. As I’ve stated, ANY data really below Triple-A is sure to be suspect at best. So a lot of this is projection and hope. But it’s fun to see a physical OF prospect in system that had the intriguing data he had. Given his strikeout numbers at the complex level, you have to wonder about contact issues. And he does have an uppercut swing. If his contact issues are true at the next levels, then this profile gets to be another strikeout/homer prone outfielder with high potential but low impact. However, there’s a chance that all of this turns into a little more and this ranking will look very low in two years. Check back in 2026 to see how things have progressed here. If there’s a name low on my list that has a chance to make waves in this system, offensively, I think it’s Pirela. But we won’t really know for sure until 2025 or 2026. 

Role

35 - High variance, physical OF prospect that could breakout or flameout quickly