Boston Red Sox prospects: Ahbram Liendo's batting average doesn't tell the full story

If you were to look at Ahbram Liendo's numbers at a glance, you would probably wonder why this article is being written. The Boston Red Sox prospect has a sub-.200 batting average as of June 20, and the slugging percentage isn't picking up any of the slack.

To be specific, Ahbram Liendo has a .189 batting average and a .260 slugging percentage thanks to seven doubles, one triple, and one home run. Average and slugging percentage are only two small parts of the game, though. And luckily for Liendo, he's excelling in other areas.

For example, the switch-hitter's official slash line is .189/.354/.260. That .354 OBP is nothing to overlook. Liendo gets on base. And he doesn't just stand around when he gets to first. Liendo has 27 stolen bases. That's good for the second most in the entire organization (only Ceddanne Rafaela in Double-A, with 30, has more).

Ahbram Liendo has only driven in 14 runs, but that high OBP and impressive amount of steals have helped to get him to 33 runs scored. That's tied for the Salem Red Sox team lead with Allan Castro. The next closest after that is Luis Ravelo, with 29.

Then there's the defense. Liendo plays mainly second base, with a decent amount of third base and the tiniest bit of shortstop sprinkled in. He's a defensive wizard at all three. Liendo constantly makes impressive plays and has saved his team plenty of runs that make up for his low batting average.

Finally, there's the fact that he's starting to flip the switch. Ahbram Liendo is only 19. He's had 187 at-bats in Single-A. It shouldn't be surprising that he's struggling a bit. Even at this low level, Liendo has had four total plate appearances facing pitchers younger than him in 2023.

In June, the Venezuela native is slashing .227/.404/.318. Those numbers might not pop out at you, but they are all pretty significant improvements from his season totals. Clearly, things are trending in the right direction for him.

It's easy to highlight the top players in the Red Sox system. However, it's the depth and the unheralded prospects that I think make this system special. Liendo has the tools to be a very exciting prospect. Even if he never becomes an elite hitter, the speed and defense could carry him into plenty of discussions.

It might seem weird to have someone tell you to keep an eye on a prospect hitting .189 in Single-A. But at least keep your ears open and look for his highlights on my Twitter (yes, this is a shameless plug, @hunter_noll). I promise you'll like what you see.

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