Complex League Climbers: Hitters Standing Out

Memorial Day has come and gone, and it feels like summer baseball is upon us. That sounds great, but tonight's weather in Greenville is supposed to be below 60 degrees, and that just doesn’t feel right on May 27 in South Carolina.

While we had several non-complex minor league games, Tuesday’s article focus is on the complex league players. What hitters are standing out that you need to know, and are they worth buying into?

Who is breaking out? You need to know these names. Let’s get after it.

Complex League Standouts

Dauri Fernandez, MI, Cleveland Guardians, 18, CPX

A young 18-year-old, Fernandez, signed with Cleveland in January 2024. A strong DSL season saw him post a .287/.370/.407 slash with a homer and eight stolen bases. Having a smaller frame at 5’9”/150, Fernandez has not tapped into much power yet, but again he just turned 18 years old.

So far this season, Fernandez is lighting the world on fire. The contact skills are as impressive as anyone in the league, and Fernandez is slashing .444/.530/.722 with a homer and four stolen bases. He has lowered his ground ball rate from the DSL and does a good job of getting to the pull-side.

Despite being smaller, Fernandez has solid bat speed and uses his body well during his swing. Using a big leg kick, Fernandez still has good timing and squares up balls extremely well.

A lot of Fernandez's future outlook depends on how he grows. We just don’t know what will happen with the body of someone who just turned 18. Right now, there is minimal projection. The speed and contact tools are both plus, though. While it is easy to get hyped about what Fernandez is doing, the long-term outlook is still that of a utility-type infielder.

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