Top Rockies Prospects of 2024: No. 3 Yanquiel Fernandez

There may not be an outfielder with a wider range of outcomes than Yanquiel Fernandez. The Cuban born outfielder has a legit bat that profiles as a middle of the order run producer for a long time. Trying to decide between Fernandez, Thompson and Beck for the three through five rankings was extremely hard. Given Fernandez’s age (just turned 21) and the fact that he has hit 46 home runs in the last two years, making his way up to Double-A Hartford, earns him the nod here. 

Yanquiel Fernandez’s immense offensive upside and let just 21, earns him the No. 3 overall spot in our prospect rankings. 

We have talked about how great of a draft class the 2022 MLB group could be for the Rockies with the additions of Gabe Hughes, Sterlin Thompson, Jordan Beck, even nabbing lefty, Carson Palmquist, in the fourth round, but the Rockies 2019 International free agency class is right there with (and possibly ahead) of that draft class. The headline of the 2019 International class was infielder, Adael Amador, but they look to have gotten a steal with Fernandez. Fernandez received the ninth highest signing bonus of the class, getting $295,000.  

Check out Fernandez's arm that can reach over 103 mph

Fernandez is a very physically mature 21-year-old, at 6'2 and 200 lbs. He was the number two ranked prospect according to MLB Pipeline and got some really good reviews (as well as an incredible comp). Fernandez's bat is what will carry and dictate what kind of career he will have, but don't get it twisted, Fernandez has one of the strongest arms in the league; he had a throw register 103.3 in the MLB Futures Game in 2023. MLB Pipeline loves the bat and thinks there is even more power potential, despite putting up 46 home runs over the last two years.

"He has dangerous raw power he’s just learning to tap into and can leave the yard to all fields, showing he’s the kind of hitter who loves RBI situations. Fernandez fits the corner outfield profile very well, both because of his run-production potential and an easily plus arm that looks good in right field. He’s gotten some Yordan Alvarez comps, and if the adjustments he showed in his approach last year are for real, he could come close to living up to them."

- MLB Pipeline

After signing in 2019, Fernandez was unable to play in 2020. In his first full year stateside, he absolutely tore the cover off the baseball, slashing .284/.340/.507 with 21 home runs in 112 games at Single-A Fresno. Being a 19-year-old, he impressed with his ability to control the zone, with just a 21.8% strikeout rate and a decent 7.46% walk rate. He built off this impressive year with another monster year, slashing .265/.313/.486 with 25 home runs in 117 games. Fernandez faced some advanced level of competition, getting a significant amount of plate appearances at Double-A Hartford (over 3.5 years younger than the average). With that came some struggles as he had a 31.35% strikeout rate on the year.

Fernandez will certainly repeat in Double-A Hartford, to prove that he can get the strikeouts under control. Fernandez has the tools to be one of the best hitters in the league as a fixture in the middle of the lineup with big time names like Nolan Jones and top prospects Jordan Beck, Adael Amador and Zac Veen. Fernandez profiles as a very solid right fielder with one of the best arms in baseball and fans should be extremely excited to see Fernandez debut, though they might have to wait another year to see him debut.

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