CHI
Alexander Canario, OF
Edit player ✎
Baseball Reference →
FanGraphs →
MLB →
Scouting report
Canario is still not a polished, skillful hitter -- he has mediocre natural timing and feel to hit, and his front side often leaks, which leaves him vulnerable against breaking balls -- so his 2019 batting average was higher than what I expect moving forward. Barring some kind of approach and pitch recognition miracle, Canario is likely to have a 40-grade bat and needs to hit for huge power to profile in an outfield corner (he's not fast enough for center field). But he does have ridiculous power and elite bat speed, way up there in Clint Frazier land, which gives Canario a power-driven pathway to everyday duty. Canario struggled with swing and miss all over the zone at the Giants' alternate site but he also continued to barrel pitches down and away from him. A lot of pull-heavy power hitters like the inside pitch, but Canario is best when he's getting extended and catching stuff away from him. His swing is a bit grooved, and he can't move the bat all over the zone to make good contact; it just comes middle-away. He came to 2020 instructs a high-priority evaluation for opposing teams because of his pending 40-man/Rule 5 deadline, and matters were complicated when Canario tore his left labrum and needed surgery. It arguably made him more draftable in the Rule 5 since he could perhaps spend more of the following year on the IL. The Giants 40-man'd the raw 20-year-old, but he's probably behind several NRI players on any sort of practical org depth chart because his at-bat quality is so green. This is a risky corner bat, but Canario has potential middle-of-the-order talent because of the raw power. He has huge ceiling if the hit/approach component improves, but I wonder if the compressed developmental timeline created by his presence on the 40-man and potential lingering effects from the injury might make that tough. (Alternate site, Fall Instructional League)