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Prospect Microscope Part I: Alex Binelas

Alex Binelas - Baseball - University of Louisville Athletics

Hello everyone. My name is Owen Letteney and I am a college student in the Boston area. After a brief writing stint for OTM several years ago back when I was in high school, I figured that I would hop back into the community and start blogging again about the Sox. In times of offseason boredom and lockout woes, I decided to start up a fan post chain about Sox Prospects that may be foreign to the average fan, other than the Mayers and the Casas's of the world. I look forward to taking a deep dive on our farm system and look forward to the future of our team. Without further adieu, the first player of this series is third baseman, Alex Binelas 3B/1B Bats: Left, Throws: Right.

Alex Binelas is the Red Sox #16 overall prospect after being acquired from the Milwaukee Brewers in an early December trade that included fan-favorite outfielder Jackie Bradley Jr., and infielder David Hamilton. Although I wouldn't say Binelas is under the radar, he is definitely an intriguing prospect outside of our top 10. Binelas quickly gained Red Sox fandom after posting a celebratory TikTok while donning a Sox cap alongside his friends, as well as joining the staple podcast of Red Sox talk: Section 10 Podcast, only minutes after learning of the acquisition.

Binelas sports a very built frame, standing at 6'3" and 225 lbs. His clear featured tool would be his left-handed power, which proved to be a weapon at Louisville over his two seasons; smashing 34 homers in 8.4% of all ABs. Early on in his collegiate career, Binelas projected to be a mid-round pick on Day 1 of the MLB Draft, however a sophomore year hand injury sidelined him for the year. He was able to bounce back in 2021, hitting .256/.348/.621 with 19 home runs over that 50 game span. In the 2021 Draft, he was selected in the third round by his hometown Milwaukee Brewers, signing just above the slot value of $699,700.

Binelas's professional career began in Low-A ball, and it began well. He hit .314/.379/.636 in 132 PA with the Carolina Mudcats. While his quick bat speed and evident strength are a plus for the 21 year-old, his defensive positioning is where the questions start arising. He has a great eye, but his collection of walks are usually paired with a streaky hitting slump. At times he will find himself going on long stretches of inconsistency which is cause of his derailed timing. Despite this, he is one of the premier hitters taken in the 2021 Draft, and a really great pickup by Chaim Bloom.

Moving to defense,third base may not be the position of the future for Binelas. His 45 field grade are backed up by his inconsistent feet and hands, and an obviously unorthodox throwing motion. While with the Mudcats, he played 42.2 innings at first, but things seemed unnatural. Especially with the influx of corner infielders ahead of Binelas in the Red Sox system, I project that Binelas moved to a corner outfield spot down the road. Despite a few bumps in the road on this side of the ball, Binelas has impressed scouts with his gradual defensive improvement during his years of ACC competition. So although he will probably never be a superstar defender, he can definitely solidify the hot corner if need be, added to his underrated attribute: his speed. Binelas recorded numbers upwards of 6.5-6.6 speeds during the draft process, which is very promising on the base paths.

Bottom Line:

Despite my slight critiques of Alex Binelas; being his sometimes streaky bat and his slightly above average defense; I really like this kid. I get the feeling that he really likes the organization, and is ready to make strides in the farm. I can see him being a solid piece of the team for years to come, as his electric left-handed swing and competitive nature will hopefully make its way to Fenway in the coming years.

Thanks for reading. Feel free to leave comments below. Have a great day.

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