Joey Loperfido

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Houston Astros #6 prospect in 2024
  BA Grade: 50/High
  
  Track Record: After going unselected in the five-round 2020 draft, Loperfido went back to Duke for his senior year and has since developed into a legitimate position prospect after the Astros drafted him in the seventh round in 2021. After hitting .286/.387/.458 in 2022 across both levels of Class A, Loperfido spent a majority of 2023 with Double-A Corpus Christi. He hit .296/.392/.548 with 19 home runs and 20 stolen bases in 84 games. He was promoted to Triple-A Sugar Land on Aug. 15 but struggled with strikeouts in 32 games.
  
  Scouting Report: Loperfido is a well-rounded player with no standout tool. At the plate, he sets up with his hands high, equal with the crown of his helmet. A moderate leg lift gives way to an explosive lefthanded swing. Loperfido has shown average bat-to-ball skills and a good balance of aggression and patience as he has climbed the ladder. During his month at Triple-A, he struggled to make contact and expanded at a much higher rate than at any of his previous stops. He shows above-average game power with the ability to get to it by slugging 25 home runs in 2023. Loperfido’s groundball rate is on the higher side, capping some of his raw power until an adjustment is made. An above-average runner underway, he is a baserunning threat. He stole 27 bases in 31 attempts in 2023. Loperfido’s speed translates to the outfield, where he shows the ability to handle center field. His arm is below-average but has been enough to make him playable at a variety of positions. Loperfido saw playing time at five positions in 2023: first base, second base and all three outfield spots.
  
  The Future: Loperfido fits the super-utility profile with average or better hitting ability and a nice power and speed combination.
  
  Scouting Grades Hit: 45 | Power: 55 | Run: 55 | Field: 45 | Arm: 45
• 
  Ranked Houston Astros #17 prospect in 2023
  BA Grade/Risk: 40/High
  
  Track Record: Loperfido went unselected in the 2020 draft and returned to Duke for a fourth season. It provided a wise decision when he had a standout campaign in 2021, hitting .374/.474/.612. He won MVP honors at the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament and entered the draft on a high note. He was selected by the Astros in the seventh round, signing for $72,500 and got his feet wet at Low-A Fayetteville. He split his 2022 season between both Class A levels.
  
  Scouting Report: Loperfido has a tall, athletic build and is an above-average athlete and runner for someone with a 6-foot-4 frame. He's best defined as a tweener with a variety of abilities but no standout tool. His lefthanded swing is driven by his rapid-fire hands that generate good bat speed despite a somewhat stiff upper half. He's a fringe-average contact hitter but limits his strikeouts because of strong pitch-recognition skills. His move at the plate and bat path projects more for line drive contact, but he's shown an ability to turn on pitches on the inner half of the plate and drive them to his pull side. He's an above-average runner who's less of a true burner than a player who uses long, powerful strides to reach top gear underway. Loperfido is a fringe-average center fielder but projects best at first base. He has the ability to play all three outfield positions, second base and first.
  
  The Future: Loperfido has the look of a superutility player who can beat up on younger competition in 2022. His balance of plate skills and pull-side power could make him a useful bench bat.
  
  Scouting Grades: Hit: 50. Power: 50. Run: 55. Field: 45. Arm: 45.

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #240 prospect in 2021 draft
  Loperfido was draft-eligible in 2020 but went unselected and returned to Duke for his fourth season with the program. He managed his best offensive campaign this spring, with an OPS over 1.000 for the first time and a slash line of .374/.473/.612 with eight home runs and 19 doubles. His showing at the ACC Tournament—where he won MVP honors—raised his stock as well, particularly a 4-for-5 game against Virginia that included a pair of homers and a double. His .473 on-base percentage was good for the fourth-best single-season OBP in Duke history. After bouncing around a number of positions through his first few seasons in Durham, Loperfido settled into an everyday center field role this spring. He’s a solid athlete and above-average runner, but scouts have always wondered if he was the true burner type that would be able to stick in the middle at the next level—particularly with a 6-foot-4, 195-pound frame that could add more weight in the future. Because of that he’s a bit of a tweener outfield profile. He has average raw power from a smooth, lefthanded swing that has had some swing-and-miss issues in the past, though he did cut his strikeout rate to 20% this spring. Some scouts think he could be a utility player who is capable of playing all over the infield and outfield.
• Ranked #261 prospect in 2020 draft
  A solid athlete and versatile defender, Loperfido had a standout offensive season at Duke in 2018, when he hit .315/.408/.475 with 11 doubles and six home runs. After leading the team in hitting, Loperfido was named to the All-ACC Freshman team. But he hasn’t reached those offensive heights since his freshman year, hitting .261/.361/.389 as a sophomore and hitting .264/.418/.358 through 15 games in the shortened 2020 season. Scouts like Loperfido’s natural athleticism and makeup, but don’t believe he has any plus tools to carry him and also wonder about his true defensive home. He’s played plenty of positions in college, including second base, first base, left field and center field, but evaluators don’t think he excels at any of them. The outfield is likely his best defensive spot in the future, and while he’s an above-average runner, he isn’t a burner so a corner spot could be a better fit, where he would have solid range. While Loperfido has average raw power with a smooth lefthanded swing, it hasn’t consistently translated, and he does have some swing-and-miss concerns with a 23 percent career whiff rate with Duke. Loperfido profiles as a utility player in some capacity, but scouts believe he could be a tough sign and could return to Durham for his senior season.

• February, 2023 Scouting Report
  BA Grade/Risk: 40/High
  
  Track Record: Loperfido went unselected in the 2020 draft and returned to Duke for a fourth season. It provided a wise decision when he had a standout campaign in 2021, hitting .374/.474/.612. He won MVP honors at the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament and entered the draft on a high note. He was selected by the Astros in the seventh round, signing for $72,500 and got his feet wet at Low-A Fayetteville. He split his 2022 season between both Class A levels.
  
  Scouting Report: Loperfido has a tall, athletic build and is an above-average athlete and runner for someone with a 6-foot-4 frame. He's best defined as a tweener with a variety of abilities but no standout tool. His lefthanded swing is driven by his rapid-fire hands that generate good bat speed despite a somewhat stiff upper half. He's a fringe-average contact hitter but limits his strikeouts because of strong pitch-recognition skills. His move at the plate and bat path projects more for line drive contact, but he's shown an ability to turn on pitches on the inner half of the plate and drive them to his pull side. He's an above-average runner who's less of a true burner than a player who uses long, powerful strides to reach top gear underway. Loperfido is a fringe-average center fielder but projects best at first base. He has the ability to play all three outfield positions, second base and first.
  
  The Future: Loperfido has the look of a superutility player who can beat up on younger competition in 2022. His balance of plate skills and pull-side power could make him a useful bench bat.
  
  Scouting Grades: Hit: 50. Power: 50. Run: 55. Field: 45. Arm: 45.
• December, 2022 Scouting Report
  BA Grade/Risk: 40/High
  
  Track Record: Loperfido went unselected in the 2020 draft and returned to Duke for a fourth season. It provided a wise decision when he had a standout campaign in 2021, hitting .374/.474/.612. He won MVP honors at the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament and entered the draft on a high note. He was selected by the Astros in the seventh round, signing for $72,500 and got his feet wet at Low-A Fayetteville. He split his 2022 season between both Class A levels.
  
  Scouting Report: Loperfido has a tall, athletic build and is an above-average athlete and runner for someone with a 6-foot-4 frame. He's best defined as a tweener with a variety of abilities but no standout tool. His lefthanded swing is driven by his rapid-fire hands that generate good bat speed despite a somewhat stiff upper half. He's a fringe-average contact hitter but limits his strikeouts because of strong pitch-recognition skills. His move at the plate and bat path projects more for line drive contact, but he's shown an ability to turn on pitches on the inner half of the plate and drive them to his pull side. He's an above-average runner who's less of a true burner than a player who uses long, powerful strides to reach top gear underway. Loperfido is a fringe-average center fielder but projects best at first base. He has the ability to play all three outfield positions, second base and first.
  
  The Future: Loperfido has the look of a superutility player who can beat up on younger competition in 2022. His balance of plate skills and pull-side power could make him a useful bench bat.
  
  Scouting Grades: Hit: 50. Power: 50. Run: 55. Field: 45. Arm: 45.