One of the top-ranked players available on the international market for the 2019-20 signing period, Amador received a $1.5 million bonus to join the Rockies. He wasn’t able to make his pro debut until 2021 because of the pandemic but showed right out of the gate that he had the chance to be a very good hitter, performing well that summer in the Arizona Complex League, replicating that success during his full-season debut in 2022 and hitting well while touching Double-A for the first time in 2023. He did miss seven weeks following surgery to repair a broken hamate in his right hand.
Right from the outset, Amador has shown off an advanced approach at the plate that has belied his years. The switch-hitting infielder has walked more than he’s struck out in his career heading into the 2024 season, drawing a free pass in 14.2 percent of his plate appearances while striking out just 12.3 percent of the time. He barrels up the ball consistently from both sides, and while he’s definitely a hit-over-power type, the strength he’s added has allowed him to drive the ball for extra bases more consistently.
While he continued to play shortstop more than anywhere else in 2023 and has solid hands and footwork to go along with a decent arm, he did start to get additional reps at second base, with some thinking that might be his best spot as he continues to fill out his six-foot frame. He’ll play all of 2024 at age 21, with a chance to really show off just how much offensive ceiling he has.
The Rockies gave out 16 bonuses of at least six figures during the 2019-20 international signing period. Amador, who was No. 16 on MLB Pipeline’s Top 30 International Prospects list at the time, was at the top of that class, getting $1.5 million to sign when the period opened in July. He hasn’t disappointed, performing very well during his professional and United States debut in the Arizona Complex League in 2021. He then showed it was no fluke by having an All-Star season in the Single-A California League in 2022.
A teenager for all of last season, Amador stands out for his very advanced approach from both sides of the plate. He walked more than he struck out in his first year-plus of pro ball, with just a 12.7 percent strikeout rate compared to a 15.1 percent walk rate. He has a very good feel for the barrel and has shown the propensity to make good swing decisions. There were some questions about what kind of impact he would have, but he’s added strength and there’s reason to believe the extra-base authority on display with Fresno in 2022 is real.
Amador has played a lot of shortstop since he’s joined the Rockies and has decent hands, footwork and a solid arm. A lack of quickness, especially as he physically matures, might limit his range enough to necessitate a move to second, where he has seen some time. He could be an outstanding defender at the keystone, with the progress he’s shown at the plate contributing to an everyday middle infielder profile.
The 2019-20 international signing class might be best known right now for current Yankees phenom Jasson Dominguez, but Amador was among the top prospects in the class, one who got $1.5 million from the Rockies to sign that July. The pandemic pushed his professional debut until 2021, but he came stateside and more than held his own in the Arizona Complex League with a .299/.394/.445 line.
Amador, a teenager for all of the 2022 season, has impressed with his ability to make contact from both sides of the plate. He controls the barrel very well and has an advanced approach at the plate, especially for his age and experience, walking nearly as much as he struck out during his debut. The biggest question about his offensive profile had been about how much he’ll be able to impact the ball, but he’s worked to add strength and showed much more extra-base authority in 2022.
While he played mostly shortstop during his debut, the jury is out what his long-term defensive home will be. He showed off excellent footwork during instructs and he has the chance to develop as a shortstop with an average arm, but he might best be suited for second base in the future. The good news is his actions work very well on the dirt up the middle, with his ceiling tied to how much his offensive profile develops.
One of the top shortstop prospects available in the 2019-20 international signing period, Amador had previously stood out in international competition on the Dominican Republic’s 15U team at the Pan Am Championship in 2017. The Rockies were thrilled to get his upside and advanced feel for the game for $1.5 million in July 2019, though they haven’t really been able to see him play much between the shutdown and then a broken hamate during instructional league play last fall.
Even in his brief time at instructs, Amador stood out for not looking his age, showing an aptitude beyond most 17-year-olds. There’s plenty of tools to grow into as well, with a solid approach from both sides of the plate, using bat speed, rhythm and timing, ingredients for him to be perhaps a better than average hitter with pop, with his right-handed swing creating a bit more impact at present. There’s plenty of room for him to continue to add strength, which should help him at the plate and as a baserunner.
He has the arm, hands and instincts to play a solid shortstop, with confidence that he’ll have the aptitude to move around the infield as needed, something the Rockies often preach. Ahead of most his age in terms of his ability to understand the game, now it’s time for him to put those tools and instincts to use on the field.
As the 2019-20 international signing period was set to begin, Amador was the sixth-highest rated shortstop on the market, settling in at No. 14 overall on MLB Pipeline’s Top 30 international prospects list. Amador, who starred as the youngest player on the Dominican Republic’s team at the Pan-Am U-15 Championship tournament in 2017, got $1.5 million from the Rockies, and immediately began to impress the organization with his skillset and feel for the game.
A tooled up middle infielder, Amador is already standing out as a precocious offensive player. A switch-hitter, the teenager is developing an approach more mature than many his age. He has excellent bat speed, with good rhythm and timing, with all signs pointing to him having the potential to be an above-average hitter with some power. As he’s grown and gained strength, he’s been running better and shows good instincts on the basepaths.
Those instincts carry over to his work on the dirt as well. He has excellent actions and more than enough arm to play shortstop long-term. Given that he might still grow and add strength, when coupled with his advanced feel for the game already, there’s a lot of upside to dream on as Amador begins his pro career.
! Note: Shifts are through the 2022 season, Shaded starting from the 2023 season, Shift: three or more infielders are on the same side of second base, Shade: positioned outside of their typical responsible slices of the field. Learn more about how positioning is defined here
