Robert Puason

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Oakland Athletics #17 prospect in 2022
  Track Record: The A’s signed Puason to a $5.1 million bonus in 2019, tied with Yankees outfielder Jasson Dominguez for the largest bonus in that year’s international class. Oakland sent Puason to their alternate training site in 2020 with the pandemic delaying his official pro debut until 2021. The A’s opted for Puason to bypass rookie ball and sent him to Low-A Stockton, where he was the league’s youngest qualified hitter at 18 years old. He was mostly overmatched, striking out more than 40% of the time.
  
  Scouting Report: Puason is a toolsy, gifted athlete capable of the occasional jaw-dropping feat, but most observers felt he wasn’t ready for full-season ball after seeing pitchers expose both his swing and approach. His steep, uphill swing doesn’t stay in the strike zone very long, leading to a significant amount of swings and misses and a nearly 60% groundball rate when he does make contact. He also lacks a consistent approach, chasing pitches at one of the highest clips in the A’s system. Defensively, Puason shows glimpses of excellence, displaying a plus throwing arm and impressive range at shortstop. But the game speeds up on him at times and he struggles to consistently make the routine play (29 errors in 2021). Puason is a plus runner but he’s still developing the necessary instincts to translate his speed on the basepaths.
  
  The Future: Puason will likely repeat Low-A after an erratic start to his pro career. His physical skills are impressive, but his development arc will be a long, slow burn.
  
• 
  Ranked Oakland Athletics #4 prospect in 2021
  Hitting: 50. Power: 50. Running: 60. Fielding: 60. Arm: 70.
  
  TRACK RECORD: The Athletics signed Puason for $5.1 million out of the Dominican Republic in 2019, which tied the Yankees’ Jasson Dominguez for the largest bonus that signing period. The coronavirus pandemic thwarted Puason’s professional debut, but the A’s brought him to their alternate training site in 2020 as one of just three teenagers alongside a mostly older, win-now group.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Puason is tooled up in a way that makes him easy to dream on. He’s a twitchy athlete with a wiry, projectable body and has shown a knack for barreling the ball from both sides of the plate. His long levers and projectable frame suggest more power is on the way, too. The A’s believe Puason can stick at shortstop in the long run, aided by his athletic ability and 70-grade arm, and he’s a plus runner now. While his tools are evident, it’s also clear Puason is still a ways away. He struggled at times with the speed of the game at both the ATS and during instructional league. Puason has worked to improve his English since coming to the U.S., including taking classes at Arizona State.
  
  THE FUTURE: The alternate site was a helpful, eye-opening experience for the 17-year-old Puason. He’ll look to take all he learned into his pro debut in 2021.
• 
  Ranked Oakland Athletics #6 prospect in 2020
  TRACK RECORD: Considered one of the top players in the Dominican Republic years before he was 16, Puason agreed to sign with the Braves when he was 14 but went back on the open market after Major League Baseball banned the Braves from signing international players for two years after finding numerous international signing violations. The Athletics jumped in and signed Puason for $5.1 million on July 2, tied for the largest signing bonus awarded to any player in the 2019-20 international class.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Puason has a wiry, projectable frame and loads of tools on which to dream. A switch-hitter with plus speed, Puason produces hard contact from both sides of the plate and shows a mature feel for controlling the barrel. As he refines his swing mechanics and adds muscle, Puason could grow into above-average power and be at least an average hitter. His long swing and shoddy pitch recognition, however, give others pause about how much he'll hit. Puason is a sleek athlete with the athleticism and instincts to stick at shortstop. He has good footwork, clean hands and a plus arm that could still tick up as his body develops.
  
  THE FUTURE: Puason played simulated games in Arizona after signing. He is set to open his pro career in the Rookie-level Arizona League in 2020.

• December, 2021 Scouting Report
  Track Record: The A’s signed Puason to a $5.1 million bonus in 2019, tied with Yankees outfielder Jasson Dominguez for the largest bonus in that year’s international class. Oakland sent Puason to their alternate training site in 2020 with the pandemic delaying his official pro debut until 2021. The A’s opted for Puason to bypass rookie ball and sent him to Low-A Stockton, where he was the league’s youngest qualified hitter at 18 years old. He was mostly overmatched, striking out more than 40% of the time.
  
  Scouting Report: Puason is a toolsy, gifted athlete capable of the occasional jaw-dropping feat, but most observers felt he wasn’t ready for full-season ball after seeing pitchers expose both his swing and approach. His steep, uphill swing doesn’t stay in the strike zone very long, leading to a significant amount of swings and misses and a nearly 60% groundball rate when he does make contact. He also lacks a consistent approach, chasing pitches at one of the highest clips in the A’s system. Defensively, Puason shows glimpses of excellence, displaying a plus throwing arm and impressive range at shortstop. But the game speeds up on him at times and he struggles to consistently make the routine play (29 errors in 2021). Puason is a plus runner but he’s still developing the necessary instincts to translate his speed on the basepaths.
  
  The Future: Puason will likely repeat Low-A after an erratic start to his pro career. His physical skills are impressive, but his development arc will be a long, slow burn.
  
• July, 2021 Scouting Report
  Hitting: 50. Power: 50. Running: 60. Fielding: 60. Arm: 70.
  
  TRACK RECORD: The Athletics signed Puason for $5.1 million out of the Dominican Republic in 2019, which tied the Yankees' Jasson Dominguez for the largest bonus that signing period. The coronavirus pandemic thwarted Puason's professional debut, but the A's brought him to their alternate training site in 2020 as one of just three teenagers alongside a mostly older, win-now group.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Puason is tooled up in a way that makes him easy to dream on. He's a twitchy athlete with a wiry, projectable body and has shown a knack for barreling the ball from both sides of the plate. His long levers and projectable frame suggest more power is on the way, too. The A's believe Puason can stick at shortstop in the long run, aided by his athletic ability and 70-grade arm, and he's a plus runner now. While his tools are evident, it's also clear Puason is still a ways away. He struggled at times with the speed of the game at both the ATS and during instructional league. Puason has worked to improve his English since coming to the U.S., including taking classes at Arizona State.
  
  THE FUTURE: The alternate site was a helpful, eye-opening experience for the 17-year-old Puason. He'll look to take all he learned into his pro debut in 2021.
• March, 2021 Scouting Report
  Hitting: 50. Power: 50. Running: 60. Fielding: 60. Arm: 70.
  
  TRACK RECORD: The Athletics signed Puason for $5.1 million out of the Dominican Republic in 2019, which tied the Yankees’ Jasson Dominguez for the largest bonus that signing period. The coronavirus pandemic thwarted Puason’s professional debut, but the A’s brought him to their alternate training site in 2020 as one of just three teenagers alongside a mostly older, win-now group.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Puason is tooled up in a way that makes him easy to dream on. He’s a twitchy athlete with a wiry, projectable body and has shown a knack for barreling the ball from both sides of the plate. His long levers and projectable frame suggest more power is on the way, too. The A’s believe Puason can stick at shortstop in the long run, aided by his athletic ability and 70-grade arm, and he’s a plus runner now. While his tools are evident, it’s also clear Puason is still a ways away. He struggled at times with the speed of the game at both the ATS and during instructional league. Puason has worked to improve his English since coming to the U.S., including taking classes at Arizona State.
  
  THE FUTURE: The alternate site was a helpful, eye-opening experience for the 17-year-old Puason. He’ll look to take all he learned into his pro debut in 2021.
• December, 2020 Scouting Report
  Hitting: 50. Power: 50. Running: 60. Fielding: 60. Arm: 70.
  
  TRACK RECORD: The Athletics signed Puason for $5.1 million out of the Dominican Republic in 2019, which tied the Yankees’ Jasson Dominguez for the largest bonus that signing period. The coronavirus pandemic thwarted Puason’s professional debut, but the A’s brought him to their alternate training site in 2020 as one of just three teenagers alongside a mostly older, win-now group.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Puason is tooled up in a way that makes him easy to dream on. He’s a twitchy athlete with a wiry, projectable body and has shown a knack for barreling the ball from both sides of the plate. His long levers and projectable frame suggest more power is on the way, too. The A’s believe Puason can stick at shortstop in the long run, aided by his athletic ability and 70-grade arm, and he’s a plus runner now. While his tools are evident, it’s also clear Puason is still a ways away. He struggled at times with the speed of the game at both the ATS and during instructional league. Puason has worked to improve his English since coming to the U.S., including taking classes at Arizona State.
  
  THE FUTURE: The alternate site was a helpful, eye-opening experience for the 17-year-old Puason. He’ll look to take all he learned into his pro debut in 2021.
• July, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: Considered one of the top players in the Dominican Republic years before he was 16, Puason agreed to sign with the Braves when he was 14 but went back on the open market after Major League Baseball banned the Braves from signing international players for two years after finding numerous international signing violations. The Athletics jumped in and signed Puason for $5.1 million on July 2, tied for the largest signing bonus awarded to any player in the 2019-20 international class.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Puason has a wiry, projectable frame and loads of tools on which to dream. A switch-hitter with plus speed, Puason produces hard contact from both sides of the plate and shows a mature feel for controlling the barrel. As he refines his swing mechanics and adds muscle, Puason could grow into above-average power and be at least an average hitter. His long swing and shoddy pitch recognition, however, give others pause about how much he’ll hit. Puason is a sleek athlete with the athleticism and instincts to stick at shortstop. He has good footwork, clean hands and a plus arm that could still tick up as his body develops.
  
  THE FUTURE: Puason played simulated games in Arizona after signing. He is set to open his pro career in the Rookie-level Arizona League in 2020.
• February, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: Considered one of the top players in the Dominican Republic years before he was 16, Puason agreed to sign with the Braves when he was 14 but went back on the open market after Major League Baseball banned the Braves from signing international players for two years after finding numerous international signing violations. The Athletics jumped in and signed Puason for $5.1 million on July 2, tied for the largest signing bonus awarded to any player in the 2019-20 international class.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Puason has a wiry, projectable frame and loads of tools on which to dream. A switch-hitter with plus speed, Puason produces hard contact from both sides of the plate and shows a mature feel for controlling the barrel. As he refines his swing mechanics and adds muscle, Puason could grow into above-average power and be at least an average hitter. His long swing and shoddy pitch recognition, however, give others pause about how much he'll hit. Puason is a sleek athlete with the athleticism and instincts to stick at shortstop. He has good footwork, clean hands and a plus arm that could still tick up as his body develops.
  
  THE FUTURE: Puason played simulated games in Arizona after signing. He is set to open his pro career in the Rookie-level Arizona League in 2020.