Padres Minor League Spotlight: Yeison Asencio
From time to time we here at East Village Times, would like to recognize some of the minor league players that are currently striving to one day be a major leaguer. Everybody knows Austin Hedges and Hunter Renfroe in the Padres minor league system, but we prefer to tell you about the unheralded prospect who has shown decent ability. Today we bring you the story of Yeison Asencio, a 25-year old Dominican outfielder in the Padres minor league system.
Asencio is currently playing at Double-A San Antonio, but that is because the Padres are loaded in the outfield in their upper tier of the organization. Matt Kemp, Justin Upton, Wil Myers, Will Venable and Melvin Upton are not going anywhere anytime soon. Well, with A.J. Preller around, perhaps I shouldn’t say anything.
Not only loaded in the Major League outfield, but with Hunter Renfroe and Rymer Liriano in Triple-A El Paso, there isn’t a place for Asencio to grow. The stocky, right-handed hitting outfielder should tear up pitching in San Antonio.
Yeison Ascencio is playing in his sixth minor league seasons with the Padres since being drafted in 2009. He has recorded a .294 average with 43 home runs and 281 runs batted in. That was done in 478 games and over 1,800 at bats. Last season between El Paso and San Antonio, Asencio hit .291 with 15 home runs and 59 runs batted in. He also only struck out 66 times in 536 at bats. In fact Asencio went off after his promotion to Triple-A El Paso. Asencio hit five home runs and batted .333 in only 81 August at bats in Texas.
He knows how to handle the bat, but a .330 on base percentage last season in total and his propensity to not walk, will limit his ability. He puts the ball in play, but needs to be more patient to take that next step.
Yeison Ascencio has primarily played the corner outfield spot in his minor league tenure. He has a plus arm on the field and can throw runners out with ease. The Padres signed Ascencio out of the Dominican Republic in 2009, thinking he was a 17-year old named “Yohan Alcantara”. He turned out to be 20 years old and that stunted his value a bit.
Ascencio still has some potential as a plus contact hitter with the ability to drive the ball to all fields. The off field stuff is actually pretty common for young players in the Dominican Republic. Trying to get an edge in order to be noticed by major league teams, is difficult. If you say you are a few years younger than your actual age, then you are naturally given more time to blossom.
He will not be seen in a Padres uniform any time soon. The team is absolutely stacked in the outfield position. That has to be a hard pill to swallow for Ascencio. Ultimately his best chance to play in the major leagues is with another team. He will probably be included in a deal eventually. The man has the ability to play in the major leagues, he just needs an opportunity. Some team might get a nice little steal of a player in Yeison Ascencio one day.
James was born and raised in America’s Finest City. He is a passionate baseball fan with even more passion towards his hometown Padres. Editor-In-Chief of EastVillageTimes.com. Always striving to bring you the highest quality in San Diego Sports News. Original content, with original ideas, that’s our motto. Enjoy.