It’s not often that you hear about a guy making his Major League debut almost 8 years after signing his first contract. But that’s exactly what we have in Jorge Bonifacio. I chose him because he was recently called up by the Royals for his first taste of the bigs, and because his first home run came off of Yu Darvish! An added bonus is that Bonifacio has cards in 2013 and 2014 to compare!
Player History:
[The information below was collected during April/May and does not reflect Bonifacio’s extended stay in the MLB and surprising success according to “experts”]
Jorge Bonifacio is the younger brother of Braves left fielder Emilio Bonifacio, and was signed by the Royals out of the Dominican Republic in 2009, when he was 16 years old. Since then, he has given the Royals flashes of potential, but a lot of average baseball statistics.
Bonifacio has been ranked anywhere from being the Royals No. 15 ranked prospect going into a season (2012), to their No. 4 ranked prospect (2013 and 2014). Injuries have smothered break out years and he has had struggles, yet he has persisted and obviously done enough to earn a cup of coffee at least for now. Here is a progression of comments by scouts and reviewers about Bonifacio over the last seven years:
- 2013: Raw tools suggest potential plus hitter but approach has to come along to allow that to manifest
- Generates plus bat speed and can really drive FB to all fields. Lacks hard contact on secondary pitches. Swing is line-drive oriented and lacks loft.
- Nothing really stands out
- Potential MLB piece late in the 2015 season, but more likely 2016.
- 2015:
- Bonifacio possesses above-average bat speed and laces the ball to all fields thanks to his combination of quick wrists and a line-drive stroke.
- He shows the potential for a solid-average hit tool at maturity, though that will also depend on whether he can make swift adjustments in his approach.
- batter’s power hasn’t emerged as many believed it would have by now, but there’s still some thump in his bat yet to be harvested.
- Bonifacio has a solid shot at developing into an average or better right-fielder at the big league level.
- 2016: Bonifacio’s swing is a little loud, but when he’s performing, scouts see a natural hitter with a direct bat path, while he looks out of sorts when he struggles
- 2017: Bonifacio’s calling card has long been his feel for contact which, despite evolving over the last two years, remains the most alluring aspect of his profile.
Jorge Bonifacio obviously has a strong feel for hitting a base ball, but does not seem to do anything great enough to merit consideration as a serious Major League contributor anymore.
His Minor League career has spanned 728 games and 2751 at-bats. He accumulated 737 hits (just over one per game) but also 660 strike outs (ouch).
In seven games since his call-up, he has 7 hits (continuing his one-hit-per-game style) and five strikeouts, with the one home run coming off of Yu Darvish in his second game. On the defensive side of the ball, he has played in Center Field and Right Field for the Royals, with eight successful put-outs in nine chances (with one error).
So what will Bonifacio’s story look like at season’s end? Will he continue to travel the path of “good but not great” and find a spot as an everyday contributor for the Royals? Will his power finally unlock and combine with his above-average eye for the baseball to turn into something special? I honestly don’t think so. I believe that as long as Jorge Soler is injured or incapable of unlocking HIS potential, Bonifacio will have opportunities to put it all together. I just don’t think it will happen in a spectacular enough fashion to warrant any big time opportunities for the young man. He is still only 23 years old though. Maybe he is still just a year away…
[Bonifacio is currently hitting .250 for the Royals with 23 RBI and 9 HRs]
Look of the Card:
As I believe I stated before, I love when a player has Inception cards across multiple years. It adds the chance to compare and contrast as well as see a player’s physical changes (albeit captured in two or more single moments).
The 2013 card for Bonifacio is really intriguing to me, because it is one of the few that is not some sort of “action” shot. I don’t know if the picture captures him in the on-deck circle, or stepping into the batter’s box or between pitches, but it’s obvious he is locked in on the pitcher.
The scouts’ takes on Bonifacio suggest he has a real understanding of how to hit a baseball, and I submit that this picture show he is very much in the moment as he prepares to hit. The look on his face suggests focus, concentration and mental preparedness. And his body posture is one of controlled anticipation. It’s like he knows he is about to get a hit and is just keeping calm and collected on the surface. The way the bat is being loosely held in his does not betray any sort of anxiety; rather that he has confidence in what he is about to perform.
Similar to the Cubs colors, the Royals colors look very good on the 2013 Inception. The royal blue jersey on the cobalt background just really has an appealing look. I like that he has his helmet on; the shine off the blue adds an intensity and depth that I don’t think would be there if it was a hat with it’s more muted reflection.
I feel like Bonifacio’s signature on this edition of his card is one of the more fun and unique ones that I have noticed thus far. It’s almost like a palindrome - it looks the same going forwards as backwards - which is not easy to pull of with a signature. It is also reminiscent of a dollar sign, which may or may not be intentional (I would LOVE to know the truth about that!). The 2014 signature is a little more wild, a little less tight, but he definitely did not change his approach between signing 2013 and 2014 cards.
The 2014 card overall is not as pleasing to the eye as the 2013, the white of the jersey just does not mesh with the background the way the 2013 jersey and background did. But at least it still captures Bonifacio at what he does best: hitting.
The 2014 card shows Bonifacio on the follow of a swing, his head obviously tracking the flight of the ball. When I look at how his body is positioned, I want to watch the video of this specific swing to see how he ended up that way. It’s very awkward looking to me the way he sort of bent over. His tongue is half way sticking out his mouth too; I love little details like that on these cards!
Overall, I like the look of both of Bonifacio’s cards. 2013 is definitely superior to 2014, but I have no qualms about either.
Card Value:
[All of the information below was from research done in April/May and is not reflective of any recent trends in Bonifacio’s value]
Bonifacio is an example of why I really like collecting Inception. It’s just really fun to be able to pick up on-card autographs of guys who do end up playing in the Majors for really cheap! Here is the breakdown of the two cards of Bonifacio:
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eBay Listings: |
Sales |
COMC Listings |
COMC Sales |
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2013
|
$3.25-$14.99 (17) |
$1.99-$3.70 |
$2.67-$7.25 |
63 sales up to $5.24 |
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2014
|
$2.99-$15 |
$1.21-$3.77 |
$3.25-$10 |
60 sales up to $3.24 |
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