Scouting Report

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

A $700,000 signing out of Mexico City in January 2022, Verdugo has shown what can be exciting and cautionary about pushing a young prospect quickly early in his career. He ran a 116 wRC+ over 52 games in the Arizona Complex League in his age-17 season in ’22 after skipping over the Dominican Summer League completely, but his move to Single-A Lake Elsinore in 2023 was a struggle with a .220/.308/.332 line in 113 games. He returned to the Storm with much better numbers (.250/.363/.407 in 81 games) before hitting another wall as a 19-year-old with High-A Fort Wayne, finishing with a .561 OPS and 29.4 percent strikeout rate in 25 games.

Watch Verdugo hit, and you can see why the Padres have pushed him so far. He doesn’t overly complicate matters with his setup from the right side, keeping things nice and quiet until he unleashes quick hands through the zone for a sound swing. He showed a better understanding of the strike zone between his first full season and his second, cutting down his chase by a good margin, but he still struggled to make consistent contact. When he did, he got under the ball too much. Without significant strength, many of his batted balls were catchable flies rather than stung line drives. In 2025, he's started to drive more of those balls over the wall back with Fort Wayne and looks more like a 15-plus homer threat as he enters his 20s.

A below-average runner, Verdugo has had to move away from shortstop and spend time at second and third. He continues to see time at those last spots, and even the departure of Leo De Vries won't likely lead to more Verdugo looks at the six moving forward. He's still building his offensive game, but the home run gains are promising at this still early stage.

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

Verdugo was considered the top player from Mexico in the 2022 international signing class and signed with the Padres for $700,000 out of Mexico City that January. He moved quickly stateside and hit .251/.338/.467 with seven homers and a 116 wRC+ over 52 games in the Arizona Complex League. San Diego kept up his aggressive path with a move to Single-A Lake Elsinore for his age-18 season in 2023, and that aggression may have hurt him as his line fell to .220/.308/.322 over 113 games, and he finished with only three homers in that span.

It's worth noting that Verdugo was one of only five players aged 18 or younger to meet the qualifying standard at Single-A, joining Samuel Basallo, Samuel Zavala, Nelson Rada and Cam Collier on that list. He was the only one of the five with a wRC+ lower than 98 -- his was 78 -- but it’s still indicative of the uphill climb Verdugo faced in the California League. On the optimistic side, he doesn’t have an overly complicated swing, and Padres officials believe he’s capable of finding the barrel and shooting balls into the gaps for extra-base hits. On the pessimistic side, he can struggle against breaking stuff and has a high degree of swing-and-miss.

Verdugo isn’t a big runner but plays a passable shortstop for now. With just average arm strength, he’s a better fit at second base than third, though he has experience at both positions in the early stages of his career. The 6-foot infielder has a chance to learn from last year’s dive into full-season ball and bounce back with a more age-appropriate assignment in 2024.

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

Ranked as MLB Pipeline’s No. 47 international prospect, Verdugo was considered the top player from Mexico in the 2022 signing class, and he joined the Padres for $700,000 out of the Diablos Rojos del Mexico academy in Mexico City. After Verdugo turned 17 in February, San Diego moved him straight stateside to the Arizona Complex League, and he was the only person with a 2005 birthdate to get enough at-bats to qualify for a batting title in the circuit. He finished with a .251/.338/.467 slash line, seven homers and a 116 wRC+ over 52 games.

The right-handed slugger showed loud contact in the ACL that mostly played in-game to the pull side, but that's backed up some with a move to Single-A Lake Elsinore in 2023. He isn’t a hulking presence in the box at a listed 6 feet, but perhaps power could return as he ages and gets more upper-level experience. His strikeout rate has dropped around 10 points year to year, so that's a positive sign of development at the plate.

While he got some time on the left side of the infield in his pro debut, Verdugo lacks the footwork for short and the arm strength for third to make either his long-term home. He’s a better fit at second base, where he may still only be average, and he'll have to get back to hitting to be at his most valuable.

Video scouting report »

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

Verdugo, the No. 1 overall player from Mexico, is the top hitter in the entire country and one of the best overall bats in the class.

At the plate, he shows an advanced approach and feel for the strike zone. He’s a contact hitter who has developed gap power. He grew up around the game and aims to follow in the footsteps of older brother Luis Verdugo, who signed with the Cubs out of Mexico in 2017.

On defense, Rosman shows an average arm and an average glove. What he lacks in “wow” factor, he makes up for with his hitting ability, swing, and makeup. He’s considered a decent runner.

Verdugo is a product of the Diablos Rojos del Mexico academy in Mexico City. The Padres are the favorite to sign him.

Transactions

Team	Date	Transaction
	03/06/2025	activated SS Rosman Verdugo.
	02/25/2025	SS Rosman Verdugo assigned to San Diego Padres.
	12/12/2024	Tomateros de Culiacan placed SS Rosman Verdugo on the reserve list.
	11/27/2024	SS Rosman Verdugo assigned to Tomateros de Culiacan.
	08/06/2024	SS Rosman Verdugo assigned to Fort Wayne TinCaps from Lake Elsinore Storm.
	04/24/2024	Lake Elsinore Storm activated SS Rosman Verdugo from the 7-day injured list.
	04/17/2024	Lake Elsinore Storm placed SS Rosman Verdugo on the 7-day injured list.
	03/15/2024	SS Rosman Verdugo assigned to San Diego Padres Prospects.
	03/13/2024	SS Rosman Verdugo assigned to San Diego Padres.
	04/03/2023	SS Rosman Verdugo assigned to Lake Elsinore Storm from ACL Padres.
	03/11/2023	SS Rosman Verdugo roster status changed by San Diego Padres.
	03/11/2023	SS Rosman Verdugo assigned to San Diego Padres.
	11/25/2022	Tomateros de Culiacan placed SS Rosman Verdugo on the reserve list.
	10/25/2022	SS Rosman Verdugo assigned to Tomateros de Culiacan.
	09/08/2022	International Team (18U) activated SS Rosman Verdugo.
	09/08/2022	SS Rosman Verdugo assigned to International Team (18U).
	06/06/2022	SS Rosman Verdugo assigned to ACL Padres.
	01/15/2022	San Diego Padres signed free agent SS Rosman Verdugo to a minor league contract.
	06/12/2021	Diablos Rojos del Mexico placed SS Rosman Verdugo on the reserve list.
	06/12/2021	Diablos Rojos del Mexico placed IF Rosman Verdugo on the reserve list.
	06/09/2021	Diablos Rojos del Mexico activated IF Rosman Verdugo from the reserve list.
	05/28/2021	Diablos Rojos del Mexico placed IF Rosman Verdugo on the reserve list.
	05/20/2021	Diablos Rojos del Mexico activated IF Rosman Verdugo from the reserve list.
	01/02/2021	Diablos Rojos del Mexico signed IF Rosman Verdugo.