Keiner Delgado
Keiner Delgado
Position: IF
Height: 5’7”
Weight: 145 lbs
Bats/Throws: B/R
Born: 01/05/2004
Country: Venezuela
Signed: International Free Agent, 2019 (Yankees)
How Acquired: Trade (from Yankees for J.T. Brubaker)
Bonus: $100,000
40-man Roster: No
Rule 5 Eligible: 2025
Minor League Free Agency: 2027
Options Left: 3
Overview
Delgado is a very small infielder who gets great reports for his eye at the plate and contact ability. So far, he’s walked much more often than he’s struck out, hit for average and gotten on base a lot. He has good, although not great, speed and has been a prolific base stealer. The big concern, as you’d expect given his size, is a lack of power. He’s actually put up good power numbers in rookie ball, but his exit velocities are very low and scouts don’t expect him to hit for power going forward. On defense, he’s split his time between short and second, but scouts don’t believe he has the arm or, possibly, range for short. He gets very high marks for baseball sense. Baseball America ranked him 22nd in the Yankees’ farm system, MLB.com 30th. The Pirates acquired Delgado from the Yankees as the player to be named later for J.T. Brubaker.
2022-23
Delgado spent 2022 in the Dominican Summer League and 2023 in the Florida Complex League, and had a similar performance each time. He hit for average, got on base and had very respectable power numbers: 310/504/506 in 2022 and 293/414/485 in 2023. His eight home runs in the FCL are interesting given the reports and data about his exit velocities. He walked twice as often as he struck out in the DSL, and a few times more often in the FCL. His stolen base numbers were prodigious: 70 of 85 between the two years.
2024
Delgado was designated as the PTBNL for J.T. Brubaker just before the FCL started play in 2024. With the Pirates, his hitting was very different from what it had been previously. He took a very big cut, didn’t show great patience and didn’t hit for average. The big swing produced only a little power. His final line was 232/318/347, very close to league average numbers. His walk rate dropped sharply from 15% in 2023 to 9% and his K rate climbed from 13% to 22%. He split his time between second and short, with a little more at short.
Stats
Transactions
May 6, 2021: Signed by the New York Yankees as an international free agent.
April 30, 2024: Traded by the New York Yankees to the Pittsburgh Pirates as a player to be named in earlier trade for J.T. Brubaker.