(Previous boletines semanales: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)

Now that we're through 42 games, or about a quarter of the 1902 season, we'd like to do something different with this post.

In this one, we're looking at how each of our special prospects did through May 27th, when—spoiler alert—the Navegadores broke a 10-game winning streak with a close loss to the Soles de Luquillo.

#12 Wally "The Human Ripcord" Balk (3B)

Quick Facts

Nationality: Australian.
Bats: Right.
Throws: Right.
Height: 1.69 meters.
Weight: 89 kilograms.

Statline through 5/27:
130 AB, .254/.307/.300, 33 H / 6 2B, 11 R / 17 RsBI, 17 K / 8 BB / 2 HBP

Truth be told, no one expected much of the first Australian in the Liga Nacional Puertorriqueña, at least not before he got used to proper baseball. In his sophomore season, Balk is not yet a main contributor on offense—certainly not against right-handed pitching, which has proven a true weakness for him—but his murderous arm at third base has been an invaluable anchor of the shutdown defense that has proven the true hallmark of Naguabo.

For Balk, the key is going to be deploying his batting eye over the remainder of the season. If he can't start drawing walks more consistently, his future may well be as a platoon partner against southpaw pitchers.

#2 Ted "Loony Balloony" Balloon (SP/2B)

Quick Facts

Nationality: American.
Bats: Right.
Throws: Right.
Height: 1.68 meters.
Weight: 65 kilograms.

Statline through 5/27:
82.2 IP, 6 W / 3 L, 3.59 ERA / 3.31 FIP / 1.23 WHIP, 36 K / 22 BB / 3 HR / 7 HBP

Perhaps it was too much to expect a developing pitcher to take on the duties of an ace, especially when he had expected to toil in obscurity as the workhorse of a rather garbage team, but Ted has done his best to press on with aplomb, despite the difficulties of his sophomore season.

With a severely-increased walk rate and decreasing groundball and strikeout percentages, the question is clear: can Ted's changeup become the weapon it's supposed to be? With his propensity to throw it in the gray areas around the strike zone, if it can't cause whiffs like it should, Ted might be doomed to a rather exasperating 1902.

#11 Jacques "Ceinturion" Ceinture (DH/2B)

Quick Facts

Nationality: French.
Bats: Left.
Throws: Right.
Height: 1.75 meters.
Weight: 86 kilograms.

Statline through 5/27:
164 AB, .256/.326/.274, 42 H / 3 2B, 14 R / 14 RsBI, 22 K / 12 BB / 5 HBP, 23 / 36 SB

On the one hand, this probably isn't what the Ceinturion expected when he came over from Cuba for a try at baseball stardom under the brightest lights there were. For one, he signed with a team full of speedy left-handed middle infielders, which meant he was relegated to making most of his starts as the designated hitter; for another, his power appears to have disappeared, as only three of his hits have gone for extra bases, and his May—in which he hit quite a bit better—saw his on-base skills lessen.

Ceinture may do well to take more starts at second base, where his defensive prowess has not lessened, but he was always meant to make his way in Puerto Rico via his bat, and that hasn't come along yet. If he can put together the walk-heavier April with the sluggier May, he has a shot at becoming a good overall hitter.

#56 Frank "Diablo Rojo" del Castillo (RF)

Quick Facts

Nationality: Mexican.
Bats: Right.
Throws: Right.
Height: 1.77 meters.
Weight: 91 kilograms.

Statline through 5/27:
175 AB, .314/.349/.394, 55 H / 8 2B / 3 3B, 31 R / 20 RsBI, 16 K / 9 BB / 2 HBP, 39 / 48 SB

Del Castillo is having a terrifyingly similar year to his 1901, which he spent with the Jinetes de Jalisco in the Liga Nacional Mexicana, with one exception: thanks to playing in a league with nearly three times as many teams, he's had many, many more chances to terrify opposing catchers, who often can't put up with his raw speed and baserunning instincts. After starting the season in the 2-hole, del Castillo was bumped up to leadoff by bench coach Alberto Valdez, who liked his ability to make hard contact and considered him the best consistent base thief on the team. So far, that confidence has been amply rewarded.

Frankly—no pun intended—we're not sure there's a weakness in his game right now. Most teams would take this kind of player from the leadoff spot, especially when he's also saving multiple runs in right field.

#16 Rob "The Grackle" / "The Nor'easter" Feaster (1B/3B)

Quick Facts

Nationality: American.
Bats: Left.
Throws: Right.
Height: 1.78 meters.
Weight: 88 kilograms.

Statline through 5/27:
154 AB, .201/.275/.286, 31 H / 5 2B / 4 3B, 26 R / 11 RsBI, 17 K / 15 BB / 1 HBP, 26 / 39 SB

Rob Feaster's second season is a study in how hard it is to be satisfied. After being traded, moving off his natural position to become a first baseman, and putting up a .405 OBP in spring training, having this kind of season at the plate is probably somewhat annoying—but the Grackle seems unwilling to let that faze him. Sure, he had a little more trouble making it on base in May, but he also hit for harder contact (all four of his triples have been in the last month), and he's been able to stay a speed threat from the bottom of the order, with a .308/.386/.385 batting line in the 7-spot.

The danger for Rob is that there are two paths ahead of him: in one, where his plate discipline and power carry the day, he becomes a permanent fixture at first base. In the other, if that doesn't happen, he's likely to be Balk's platoon partner at third, since he does well enough against northpaw pitchers, and defensively speaking, he's not even the best left-handed first baseman on the roster.

#13 David "Repentino" Marrero (SP)

Quick Facts

Nationality: Puerto Rican.
Bats: Right.
Throws: Right.
Height: 1.77 meters.
Weight: 66 kilograms.

Statline through 5/27:
90.2 IP, 7 W / 1 L, 2.78 ERA / 3.36 FIP / 1.15 WHIP, 34 K / 28 BB / 3 HR / 3 HBP

After a so-so rookie season in which the Murciélagos couldn't get ten complete games out of him, Marrero went to the Navegadores with a mission: he was going to turn himself into a proper starting pitcher. It's safe to say he's managed it, as while he's still got a worrying tendency to give up walks and his share of home runs, his ability to shut down opposing right-handers has already become legendary. Playing in front of a league-leading defense, he can really show off the bite on his devastating slider and splitter combination.

Like Balloon, Marrero's problem is that his main pitch isn't getting the bite it should. Unlike Balloon, Marrero's main pitch is a slider, and without a true straight-on pitch like a fastball, the danger of platoon splits is quite apparent—he's given up nearly as many walks to lefties as righties, in half as many opposed ABs—so if his changeup and splitter can't differentiate from it, he's going to continue having trouble down the road.

#17 Pablo "Rodillón" Salmerón (C)

Quick Facts

Nationality: Cuban.
Bats: Left.
Throws: Right.
Height: 1.86 meters.
Weight: 93 kilograms.

Statline through 5/27:
39 AB, .231/.238/.333, 9 H / 4 2B, 3 R / 10 RsBI, 6 K / 1 BB, 1 / 1 SB

If there's one thing you can say about Salmerón, it's that he's the same guy he was in spring: a free-swinging, arm-first catcher. There have been some changes: he's discovered his power, especially at La Timonera, where he's currently literally 3-4 times better as a hitter, and the howitzer attached to his right shoulder has so far nailed 75% of runners trying to steal.

Salmerón remains extremely unlikely to get the starting nod, for one simple reason: his abilities behind the plate, especially his blocking, are barely up to par. If his bat continues to come along ahead of his glove, there's a good chance that he spends some time in the DH slot. But for now, he's a great pinch-hitting option and backup. If he starts showing more discipline, he could be quite dangerous as a platoon catcher.

#37 Vidal "Barbero" Santiago (LF)

Quick Facts

Nationality: Puerto Rican.
Bats: Right.
Throws: Right.
Height: 1.80 meters.
Weight: 87 kilograms.

Statline through 5/27:
148 AB, .304/.356/.419, 45 H / 7 2B / 2 3B / 2 HR, 18 R / 19 RsBI, 17 K / 12 BB, 5 / 6 SB

Santiago puts a really attractive package together: besides one of the most consistent bats in the lineup, especially against left-handers, he's defended his corner in left field with soft, careful hands and plenty of range. He's also experienced a big power surge as he's hit age 25, already hitting nearly as many triples as he did all of last season for the woebegone Mulos, and his walk-drawing has become much more noticeable. His move to the outfield seems to have provided a boon to his time in batting practice, and unlocked the professional hitter within him.

Every hitter has a weakness, but Santiago's has to be one of the least normal we've encountered: the man is incapable of hitting in the middle innings. His OPS is literally half: a fantastic .962 in innings 1-3, a still-excellent .931 in innings 7-9, and a horrendous .443 in innings 4-6. Whatever is going on there, if he can figure it out, he'll be the anchor of this lineup for a good long time.

#4 Etaoin "Tipógrafo" Shrdlu (2B)

Quick Facts

Nationality: American.
Bats: Left.
Throws: Right.
Height: 1.72 meters.
Weight: 69 kilograms.

Statline through 5/27:
152 AB, .290/.337/.355, 44 H / 6 2B / 2 3B, 20 R / 12 RsBI, 17 K / 11 BB, 14 / 26 SB

Stop me if you've heard this one before: Etaoin Shrdlu's main contributions to the Naguabo lineup are his speed, his lefty bat, and his shutdown defense. In his particular case, he's mostly meant to be the kind of surprising hitter that appears out of the #6 or #7 spot to suddenly dominate your surprised starting pitcher, and he's done fairly well in that regard, especially as he becomes a more judicious batter.

Unfortunately, Shrdlu has the opposite problem from our previous prospect: his statline is buoyed by a massive capability boost in the middle innings, where he's hitting an obscene .436/.483/.564. Something about seeing a pitcher for the second time just seems to unlock an extra gear in his plate approach—and if he can find out what that is and use it, oh, during the rest of the game, Shrdlu may yet be the top player he is still sometimes predicted to become.

#0 Spike "Obusón" Stonehand (C)

Quick Facts

Nationality: Argentine.
Bats: Right.
Throws: Right.
Height: 1.83 meters.
Weight: 121 kilograms.

Statline through 5/27:
110 AB, .255/.294/.327, 28 H / 6 2B / 1 3B, 14 R / 14 RsBI, 34 K / 6 BB, 0 / 1 SB

You probably won't believe us when we say it, but it's true: Spike Stonehand is currently our favorite Navegador to watch at the plate. Sure, he strikes out way, way too often—if it weren't for the Mulos running the 1901 Cataño playbook and sending the same guy out there behind the plate for every game, he'd probably lead Betances in it—but the man hits the ball hard, and it often finds space between outfielders. His work leading this pitching staff has not gone unnoticed, either, and while his throwing arm is less savage than his backup's, it's the combination of the two of them that has made Naguabo the best team in the LNP at preventing base thievery.

We already said it, but whereas for some of these hitters you have to dig into the numbers, with Spike the weakness is obvious: he strikes out. A lot. Having Salmerón as a pinch-hitting option in the late innings helps, of course, but at some point he's got to start getting more out of his own plate appearances.

#27 Graham "Ham" Underwood (RP/1B/LF)

Quick Facts

Nationality: English.
Bats: Left.
Throws: Left.
Height: 1.85 meters.
Weight: 73 kilograms.

Statline through 5/27:
48 AB, .188/.220/.188, 9 H, 7 R / 4 RsBI, 6 K / 2 BB, 11 / 16 SB

Last year, Ham Underwood looked quite fetching in Las Tunas' burgundy-and-ciel threads—when he played, which was usually as a mop-up man in games they had definitely lost or as a late-inning pinch-runner. In Naguabo he's encountered the complete opposite problem: the Navegadores have a well-stocked armbarn, so most of his appearances have been at the plate, where he recently picked up outfield practice as a way to help Vidal Santiago get some off days.

The path forward for Ham is a little difficult. He's an excellent runner, and his speed has created problems for opposing defenses (he's been on base at least four times due to fielding errors), but he simply has to put the bat on the ball. Every indication is that he will eventually be a serviceable hitter who needs more seasoning. Naguabo is hoping to be the place where he does it.

#6 Benigno "Benji" Valdez (SS)

Quick Facts

Nationality: Puerto Rican.
Bats: Left.
Throws: Right.
Height: 1.86 meters.
Weight: 101 kilograms.

Statline through 5/27:
173 AB, .295/.341/.393, 51 H / 7 2B / 5 3B, 29 R / 20 RsBI, 14 K / 8 BB, 37 / 49 SB

Benji Valdez is well on the road to becoming the first player to lead both the LBPC and LNP in Wins Above Replacement, and if he does so, he'll have done it as a rookie—and this time probably secure the Nobilísimo that the Cubans denied him. He's done that with three main tools: his wheels, where he's mostly competing with his own teammates for first place; his glove, where he's currently one of the three best shortstops in the entire LNP; and a bat that might as well say "This machine crushes lefties," since he's got a 1.079 OPS against them (albeit in limited action).

With Benji, there's not much else to say: his game is nigh-unstoppable, and he'll be a key piece of everything the Naves do moving forward. His bat is serviceable against right-handers, if not fantastic. We'd like to see slightly more circumspection around steal decisions, but a 73% rate is about what he had in Cuba. The glove is unimpeachable, and he plays into shallow LF and CF as well as the guys actually paid to patrol those areas.

We'll be back with a regular weekly post soon enough. In the meantime, let us know what else you'd like us to cover. The LNP is a big world, and we're just happy to bring you some of it.

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