Yardbarker
x
Blue Jays Nation’s Mid-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 9: Damiano Palmegiani
Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports

Do you like power hitters? Well, this prospect will tickle your fancy.

Just a quick recap of the mid-season list: We’ll look at the player’s stats, my observations, and finally other publications (Prospects Live, MLB Pipeline, Baseball America)’ scouting reports.

Let’s take a look at Damiano Palmegiani.

Getting to know Damiano Palmegiani…

Position: First base/Third base

Bats: Right

Born: January 24, 2000

Acquired: 14th round, 2021 draft (Blue Jays)

Current Team: Triple-A Buffalo

Previous Ranking: 10

Has there been a more consistent, yet underrated prospect in the Blue Jays system?

The Venezuelan-born, Canadian-raised corner infielder broke onto the scene in the lower minors in 2022. He started the season with the Single-A Dunedin Blue Jays, slashing .256/.351/.508 with 11 home runs in 228 plate appearances.

Palmegiani was promoted to High-A Vancouver in the spring, where he helped lead the team to a playoff berth. He slashed .224/.335/.443 with 13 homers in 272 plate appearances.

The power-hitting corner infielder has had a great 2023 as well. With the Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats, he slashed .249/.351/.463 with 19 homers in 461 plate appearances. The 23-year-old was promoted to Triple-A Buffalo at the start of September and is slashing .438/.542/.875 with a homer in 24 plate appearances.

Palmegiani’s best tool is his power tool, as he hit 24 last season between Single-A and High-A, which was third in the organization. As it stands, his 20 homers in 2023 rank third, just behind Davis Schneider’s 21 in Triple-A, and 25 from Orelvis Martinez, who led the organization in 2022 and 2021.

As for Palmegiani’s hit tool, he won’t ever hit for a high average, but he could hit for an average of around .250. While there is a little bit of swing and miss in his game (27.1 K%), Palmegiani has a great eye at the plate, owning a 12.1 BB% throughout his minor league career.

Defensively, he’s better at first base than he is at third base. In New Hampshire, he played 594 innings at third and only 112 innings at first. In his five games with the Bisons, he has yet to play third base in his six games played.

Palmegiani is a fringe-average runner but has yet to be caught stealing in his 12 attempts in the big league. This shows great instincts on the base paths, even if he isn’t a burner.

The 23-year-old will likely start the 2024 season with the Buffalo Bisons. If he can continue to hit as he has the past three seasons in the organization, he may force the Blue Jays hand in calling him up.

Next up:

In the next article, we’ll take a look at a prospect on the 40-man roster who has had a fantastic season.

In case you missed it…

me on Twitter, Instagram, and Threads @Brennan_L_D.

This article first appeared on Bluejaysnation and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads:

Customize Your Newsletter

+

Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.