Brito has been quite the diamond in the rough since signing with the Rockies for $60,000 out of the Dominican Republic in 2018. The Guardians acquired him for Nolan Jones before the 2023 season, and he had two highly productive campaigns before his 2025 was lost to injuries, when the hope was for him to make his big league debut. Thumb surgery sidelined him for two months and sapped his power when he was on the field before a hamstring injury ended his season with just 31 games played.
Although he missed a large chunk of time, Brito's promising skillset remains mostly intact. The 6-foot switch-hitter controls the zone well and makes consistent contact, with no problem against secondaries, from a crouched, open stance from both sides of the plate. What he lacks in elite exit velocities, he makes up for with a knack for getting the ball in the air, which enabled him to significantly increase his power output over the past two years. He did expand the zone more and was perhaps overly aggressive in 2025, although it's unclear if that will carry over to '26.
Brito has fringy speed on the bases and in the field, which has pushed him down the defensive spectrum from short to second base. The Guardians will likely continue to move him around the field in an effort to get his bat in the big league lineup, perhaps at right field and first base due to the team's roster construction. If he does not hit enough to become an everyday player, his below-average defensive actions and arm, especially at short, limit his potential to be a true utility player.
The Rockies signed Brito for $60,000 out of the Dominican Republic in 2018 and traded him to the Guardians for Nolan Jones four years later. His power began to emerge in 2024, when he led the Triple-A International League with 40 doubles, 61 extra-base hits and 244 total bases, though his batting average (.256) and on-base percentage (.365) were career lows. Following the offseason trade of Andrés Giménez to the Blue Jays, Brito will get the first chance to replace him at second base in Cleveland.
Yet another switch-hitting Guardians infield prospect, Brito always has made consistent contact and controlled the strike zone from both sides of the plate. He also has displayed the aptitude to launch balls in the air to his pull side, though he produced just 31 homers in his first 296 pro games before bashing a career-best 21 last year. He did a better job of driving the ball as a righty after struggling to do so in 2023.
Brito isn't much of a threat on the bases with his fringy speed, though he will steal on occasion. He has quick hands but lacks smooth infield actions and has just decent arm strength, which limits his defensive value. He has played all over the diamond and grades as a fringy defender at second base, right field and first base compared to below average at shortstop and third base.
Signed for just $60,000 out of the Dominican Republic in 2018, Brito hit .295/.406/.469 in three seasons in the Rockies system and ranked among the Single-A California League leaders in most offensive categories in 2022. The Guardians liked his hitting ability and traded Nolan Jones to get him in November 2022. While Jones had a strong rookie year in Colorado, Brito continued to hit and finished his age-21 season in Triple-A.
A switch-hitter, Brito controls the strike zone and makes consistent contact from both sides of the plate. Though he's a strong 5-foot-11, 202-pounder with the ability to pull pitches and drive them in the air, there are questions about his power potential. His proponents thinks he hits the ball hard enough to provide 20 homers per season, while other evaluators see more fringy pop and note that 27 of his 31 long balls in his first four seasons came as a left-handed hitter.
Brito will derive most of his value from his offensive production. He has fringy speed and got caught stealing (eight times) more than he succeeded (seven) in 2023. He lacks smooth actions and possesses just average arm strength, so he's far better suited for second base despite seeing time at shortstop and third base. Cleveland has introduced him to first base and right field this year, looking for ways to potentially get his bat in its lineup.
Somewhat of an afterthought in the Rockies' 2018-19 international class, Brito signed for $60,000 out of the Dominican Republic. He hit everywhere he went in Colorado's system, batting .295/.406/.469 in three seasons and ranking among the Single-A California League leaders in most offensive categories last year at age 20. Intrigued by his bat, Cleveland traded Nolan Jones to acquire Brito in November and added him to their 40-man roster.
A switch-hitter, Brito makes hard contact with a quick, short stroke from both sides of the plate. He controls the strike zone well, walking more than he struck out in his first three years as a pro, and he shows some aptitude for turning on and lifting pitches. There are mixed reports on his power upside, though he's considerably stronger than his listed weight of 162 pounds, and the Guardians think his exit velocities could portend 20-homer production. Fifteen of his 17 long balls through 2022 came as a left-handed hitter.
Brito is aggressive on the bases despite possessing just fringy speed. He's a decent, if not especially fluid, defender with an average arm at second base. Cleveland has several more gifted middle infielders in the system, which could push him to left field and put more pressure on his bat.
While the Rockies’ 2018-19 international signing class won’t pay any big league dividends for a while, it does have representation on their Top 30. It starts with Warming Bernabel and includes Juan Guerrero, both of whom got six-figure bonuses to sign in July 2018. Brito also signed at the start of that signing period, getting just $60,000 to join the organization out of the Dominican Republic. He’s shown off some offensive upside since, making his debut in the Dominican Summer League in 2019, his United States debut in the Arizona Complex League in 2021 and a solid full-season showing in Single-A in 2022.
Wherever Brito has been, the switch-hitting infielder has shown a knack for contact and an advanced approach at the plate. He’s short and quick to the ball from both sides of the plate, consistently finding the barrel. He combines those swing mechanics with excellent pitch recognition and strike zone discipline, with more walks than strikeouts in his career through 2022. While he’s more hit over power, his in-game pop is starting to show up more, and he could eventually have average power.
Brito’s lack of speed doesn’t keep him from being aggressive on the basepaths, but it does limit him to playing second base. He’s a solid enough defender to stay there, though it’s his bat that will give him the chance to reach the big leagues as an offensive-minded middle infielder.
These run values are leveraged, meaning the base/out situation at the time of the event does impact the run value (thus introducing context outside the batter's own contribution).
! 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
