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PROFILE:
Omar Infante was discovered and signed while playing baseball in Venezuela by the Detroit Tigers on April 28, 1999. What got the Tigers’ attention was Infante’s impressive defensive prowess. Initially, due to injuries within the organization, Omar was rushed from rookie league up to Class-A Lakeland, but quickly proved that he could hold his own. While at Double-A Erie, he was the youngest player in the Eastern League. Despite possessing only average speed, Infante has terrific range at short and always knows when and how to steal a base. In the field, he possesses soft hands, an accurate arm and can really make plays from the hole. He seldom makes errors on routine plays and he possesses terrific instincts on the field. Without a doubt, Infante’s defense is more than major-league-ready. He is also a natural-born leader, on and off the field. Offensively, Omar is a great contact hitter, despite his penchant for swinging at bad pitches, but he still needs to learn how to drive the ball better. This should come as he matures, and as he improves his strength and conditioning. He is also an adept bunter and excels at hitting-and-running and moving runners over.
FINAL ASSESSMENT:
We believe that with the improved plate discipline that Infante has demonstrated over the past two seasons, that as soon as he fills out and gets stronger, he will be a top-notch major league middle infielder, both defensively and offensively. There is only one caution with Infante, and that is that he was born with a genetic birth defect to his spine, which has given him a slight case of spondylolysis. For a short time last season, he missed some time due to a sore back. Normally, a mild condition of spondylolysis can be controlled with painkillers; however, Infante could end up having chronic back problems, due to this genetic problem. Nonetheless, Omar should go in the first round of the upcoming NABL draft.
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