Bryan Rincon

Role: Average Regular
Risk: High – Rincon has the glove and athleticism to be an above average to plus defender at shortstop, and while that gives him a high floor he is going to need to hit the ball harder to be an everyday player.
Summary: Rincon made the list last year on the back of 12 games in the FCL, and those flashes solidified into a good prospect in 2023. Rincon got off to a poor start in April, hitting just .175/.266/.246 with 7 walks (10.9%) and 17 strikeouts (26.6%). Even with a cold end in Jersey Shore, he hit .236/.376/.370 with 62 walks (16.6%) and 61 strikeouts (16.4%) over the rest of the season. He is a switch hitter who saw the ball slightly better vs LHPs with less swing and miss, but hit the ball harder from the left side vs RHPs. Regardless of the side of the plate, he showed an advanced approach, though possibly a bit passive. With Clearwater, his swing rate was just 38.0%, while showing a much higher swing rate against fastballs than breaking balls. The one concern is that when he did swing there was some amount of swing and miss (20.2%), particularly against sliders (34.0%), and it isn’t a glaring issue yet, but something to monitor. Not chasing pitches is a good start, but becoming too passive risks putting himself in situations where he is down in the count and having to swing at the breaking balls. The other concern is that he got decent power output statistically, but his exit velocity numbers were near the bottom of Phillies batters at an average of 85.9 mph and 90th percentile of 99.2mph. He does get the ball in the air, and he maximizes the power he can get to, but the lower overall impact numbers are concerning. Rincon does have the frame to mature and add strength, but he also isn’t particularly lanky or projectable. Rincon played exclusively shortstop with the Phillies and he will stick there and be an above average to plus defender. There is some risk he is a below average hitter, but a good defender, and ends up more in a bench role. He does do enough of the positive things right at the plate and on defense that there is a definite path to being a starter for a playoff caliber team who hits in the bottom third of a lineup.
2024 Outlook: Rincon ended the season in Jersey Shore, and he will likely start and spend most or all of the season there. The park there is likely to treat his power poorly, and it would not be surprising to see what looks like a down year statistically.

Role: Second Division Shortstop
Risk: Extreme – There is not a lot of track record for Rincon and there is a long way to go between him and any major league role.
Summary: Rincon moved to the Pittsburgh area from Venezuela while in high school. The Phillies drafted the switch hitting shortstop in the 14th round and signed him for the full $125,000 bonus. He is a good defender at shortstop and a good runner. He has surprisingly decent power, and did not embarrass himself at the plate in his 12 games in the FCL. He is still more of a project than a prospect, but the glove gives a decent floor and base to build on.
2023 Outlook: There is an opportunity given the Phillies depth chart for Rincon to seize the Clearwater shortstop job, or at least a good amount of middle infield playing time. It is probably going to be more of a slow burn for Rincon, and so it would not be surprising to see him struggle at times.

Role: Glove First Bottom of the Lineup Shortstop
Risk: High – Rincon barely played in 2024 due to a leg injury, and he once again struggled to make impactful contact. His glove projects to be good, but not good enough to be a zero at the plate. There is a fairly narrow path between sticking at the bottom of the lineup and being more of a bench player.
Summary: Rincon had a rough April where he was too passive at the plate, before having a solid 11 game stretch of May before he suffered a hamstring injury. He never really got back to where he was between the end of the season and a trip to the Arizona Fall League. The season didn’t really change the outlook on Rincon, but his struggles were concerning when he was on the field. He has the makings of a solid approach and has run good contact rates, but he can be prone to not hunting pitches to do damage on. He also lacks impact in his swing, and he really needs to maximize the trajectory of his contact in the air to get to home run power. If he puts it together, he probably is a 10 home run bat that doesn’t make up for the lack of power with a large amount of doubles, but is enough of a threat that he can maintain a decent walk rate. The combination will likely never be more than average at the plate, and likely below, which is why his defensive projection is important. He is a solid shortstop, and has a chance to be a plus defender in the long run thanks to good actions and arm. He hasn’t played positions other than short yet, but if he isn’t a regular it will be important that he has positional versatility.
2025 Outlook: Rincon will return to Jersey Shore looking for a full healthy season. With Caba traded, he should get the everyday reps at shortstop.