I am not sure why I have this fascination with young 19-year-old OF Ezequiel Pagan. He hasn’t exactly lit the world on fire as a prospect. Yet, I like what I see when he plays. Pagan was drafted in the 13th round of the 2018 draft out of Pro Baseball HS & Academy in Puerto Rico where he flashed decent skills.
Basic Info
Age – 19
Height – 6’1”
Weight – 163
Bats – Left
Throws – Right
My first view of Pagan came via a YouTube video that was published a month before the draft. What I see is a very athletic and raw outfielder. Given time, and some weight, he could be something. I like all his movements from how he catches the ball to how he runs, to how he throws, and to how he hits.
But keep in mind, I was thinking more about projection. You can clearly see he has the foundation to be a good ballplayer in time.
Pagan’s first season was a strange one. In his first 13 games, he hit just .159. As high school kid in Puerto Rico, he probably did not face the level of competition he would in the Arizona Rookie League. However, Pagan improved greatly in the second half hitting .271 with a .367 OBP and 120 wRC+.
When 2019 came, I was not surprised to see Pagan back in Mesa.
He got off to a scintillating start last summer before fading the last couple of weeks. He hit .327 with a .416 OBP and was the spark plug for the Cubs 1 squad as they tried to make a playoff push. Unfortunately, Pagan did not finish the season well as he hit just .229 over his last 16 games for Mesa 1 and then .263 for Cubs 2, although he did have a .364 OBP.
You can see from the video above he has added some weight. As Pagan continues to fill out, he should continue to do well.
One thing I found interesting about his stats so far is that his K rates were pretty consistent at about 18% while his BB rate improved as the season went on last year.
Pagan should be at Eugene this summer. And with the draft moved back a month, Pagan should/could have 4-6 weeks of consistent playing time to show what he can do. My hope is that he has continued to add some weight and gained some strength to drive the ball a little more so that he can use his natural speed to turn singles into doubles and doubles into triples. He’s still just 19 and will be when the season starts. That’s still very young for the Northwest League.
Cubs Central 
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