Scouting Report

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Scouting grades: Hit: 55 | Power: 40 | Run: 50 | Arm: 50 | Field: 50 | Overall: 45

The Puerto Rican baseball scene hasn’t produced many early-round Draft prospects in recent years, with four players taken in the top five rounds in the last five Drafts combined, a small list led by now-Reds prospect Edwin Arroyo. Melendez has the chance to be the best shortstop to come from the island since Arroyo was selected by the Mariners in Round 2 of the 2021 Draft, showing off solid tools and a feel for the game that belies the fact that he’ll still be 17 at the time of the Draft.

Don’t let Melendez’s 5-foot-8 stature fool you. There’s some serious tools here in the undersized package. He has a real feel for the barrel from the left side of the plate, with the chance to be a plus hitter in time. And while he largely has a hit-over-power profile, there’s surprising strength in there in an Ozzie Albies kind of way (even if he doesn’t get to Albies-like power production in the future). He’s turned in some excellent run times in 60-yard dashes at showcases, but he’s likely to settle in as more of an average runner with more instincts on the basepaths than pure speed.

Melendez has enough arm to stick at shortstop with a very quick release, and he can dial it up to solid-average when he needs to. A team taking the Wake Forest recruit in the first several rounds could send him out at the premium position, though some scouts feel he’ll be better suited to second base long-term as a pro.

Scouting grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 40 | Run: 50 | Arm: 50 | Field: 50 | Overall: 40

The Puerto Rican baseball scene hasn’t produced many early-round Draft prospects in recent years, with four players taken in the top five rounds in the last five Drafts combined entering 2025, a small list led by now-Reds prospect Edwin Arroyo. Melendez was the best shortstop prospect to come from the island since Arroyo was selected by the Mariners in Round 2 of the 2021 Draft, showing off solid tools and a feel for the game that belied the fact that he was still 17 at the time of the Draft. The Pirates took note and took him in the fourth round.

Don’t let Melendez’s 5-foot-8 stature fool you; there’s some serious tools here in the undersized package. He has a real feel for the barrel from the left side of the plate, with the chance to be a plus hitter in time. And while he largely has a hit-over-power profile, there’s surprising strength in there in an Ozzie Albies kind of way (even if he doesn’t get to Albies-like power production in the future). Melendez turned in some excellent run times in 60-yard dashes at showcases, but he’s likely to settle in as more of an average runner with more instincts on the basepaths than pure speed.

Melendez has enough arm to stick at shortstop with a very quick release, and he can dial it up to solid-average when he needs to. The Pirates could send him out at the premium position, though he might eventually be better suited to second base long-term as a pro.

Transactions

Team	Date	Transaction
	11/21/2025	SS Gustavo Melendez assigned to Criollos de Caguas.
	08/04/2025	FCL Pirates activated SS Gustavo Melendez.
	07/23/2025	SS Gustavo Melendez roster status changed by FCL Pirates.
	07/23/2025	Pittsburgh Pirates signed SS Gustavo Melendez.
	07/23/2025	SS Gustavo Melendez assigned to FCL Pirates.
	05/26/2025	College Workout activated SS Gustavo Melendez.
	10/03/2024	SS Gustavo Melendez assigned to High School Workout.
	06/30/2024	High School Workout activated SS Gustavo Melendez.