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2013 MLB Draft: Top 35 High School Catching Prospects

5 Jun 2013 12:21 AM / 1 Comment on 2013 MLB Draft: Top 35 High School Catching Prospects

1. If your favorite player is missing, then chances are a lot higher it was a copy/paste fail and not my complete and utter lack of baseball knowledge. I mean, sure, it could still be the latter, but if there’s somebody obvious that I’ve ignored, please give a gentle reminder in the comments or via email (robozga at gmail dot com). It’s also possible I mentally shifted a guy’s position in my head, so don’t rule out your player suddenly popping up on another position list.

2. Players designated as FAVORITEs were given that tag prior to the season, or, in some cases, upon enrolling in college. In other words, just because a guy is a FAVORITE doesn’t mean he’s automatically guaranteed a high placement on the list. I’m stubborn about which players I like, true, but I’m also quite cognizant of the fact prospect status is fluid.

3. Final opinions are all mine, but information has been culled from a variety of sources. Like anybody likely reading this site, I’m an avid follower of all things Baseball America and Perfect Game. Seriously, if you are into the draft/prospects at all, I highly recommend getting subscriptions to both sites. I also have a small but trustworthy network of friends in the game I occasionally call upon for information on prospects, especially those off the beaten path. Consider the little scouting notes section on each player a synthesis on what I’ve read, heard, and seen about each player. I’m in no way an expert and literally nothing I write, positively or negatively, influences what pro teams actually do on draft day. I’m just a baseball loving guy who has taken a hobby way, way, way too far.

4. I’m happy to answer any and all questions I can over email or in the comments. Also, for the sake of my already waning sanity, I didn’t include everything I had on every player — you’ll see some blank spots sprinkled throughout — so please don’t hesitate to ask if there’s something about a specific guy you want answered.

5. There’s a little more science in scouting college prospects than when it comes to evaluating high school guys. This is all art and totally up to interpretation. The rankings are rankings because they are…rankings (I say it every year, but next year I want to do tiers), but that doesn’t mean Prospect #3 is leaps and bounds better than Prospect #15. I’m not trying to preempt any criticism of the list or anything, just getting it out there that nothing I write should be taken as more than the semi-educated opinions of what some weird guy on the internet thinks about a bunch of ballplayers. Cool? Cool. Here we go…

***

1. C Reese McGuire (Kentwood HS, Washington): average arm, but could be more there; very good athlete behind plate; pretty swing; really strong defensive tools; frequent Austin Hedges comp defensively with plus-plus ability; double-digit home run pop; opposite field power is great to see; average speed plays up; Matt Joyce comp as hitter; so agile, such a great athlete; strong hands; above-average arm now; my own Jason Kendall comp; above-average hit tool; average power upside; FAVORITE; 6-1, 180 pounds

2. C Jonathan Denney (Yukon HS, Oklahoma): quick bat; really good power, easy plus; outstanding defensive tools; quick feet; legit plus arm; big power; BA JP Arencibia comp, also Clint Coulter; short to ball, but explodes with lower half; love his patience, call it controlled aggression; no glaring weakness to his game; average hit tool; FAVORITE; 6-2, 200 pounds

3. C Nick Ciuffo (Lexington HS, South Carolina): quick bat; above-average power upside; good defensive tools and has improved over time; not a natural catcher, but now he looks the part; high present value; above-average arm, but throws can sail; moves laterally better than expected; keen batting eye; PG Brian McCann comp; defense has improved a ton; strong hands; good receiver; popular AJ Pierzinski comp as well; reminds me some of Varitek; 6-2, 200 pounds

4. C Chris Okey (Eustis HS, Florida): plus defensive upside; good athlete; above-average arm strength, plus for some; good approach; big power upside, but very little presently; average speed; strong present defender; middle infielder agility behind plate; PG Craig Biggio comp; BA comps Jon Lucroy and Jason Kendall; FAVORITE; 6-0, 180 pounds

5. C/3B Tyler O’Neill (Garibaldi SS, British Columbia): very strong; plus bat speed; advanced as a hitter; above-average speed; above-average arm; great athlete; BA comp: Brett Lawrie; FAVORITE; 6-0, 215 pounds

6. C Jacob Nottingham (Redlands HS, California): above-average power upside; average hit tool; quick bat; defense needs polish; very strong; strong arm; really good athlete; decent speed; FAVORITE; 6-3, 220 pounds

7. C Brian Navarreto (Arlington County Day HS, Florida): easy plus arm; good defensive tools; really like him behind the plate, great athlete; quick release; runs well for a catcher; sometimes stabs more than slides; above-average raw power is there, but still raw; Kiley McDaniel body comp: Charles Johnson; FAVORITE; 6-3, 215 pounds

8. C Tyler Alamo (Cypress HS, California): mature hitter; nice swing; raw defensively, but keeps improving; average arm, maybe a touch more; good athlete; gap power now, more coming; 6-3, 200 pounds

9. C/3B Francis Christy (Casa Grande HS, California): above-average arm strength; good agility; decent speed; good athlete; big power upside, above-average to plus raw; still raw behind the plate, but getting better; 6-1, 200 pounds

10. C Jeremy Martinez (Mater Dei HS, California): born to catch; slow as molasses; strong and accurate arm; advanced bat; quick pop times; could have average hit tool in time; average at best power projection, some like it a bit more; great approach at plate; 5-11, 200 pounds

11. C Arden Pabst (Harvard-Westlake HS, California): can handle pro pitching behind plate; does everything well, but nothing that makes him stand out; gap power, but more there; good athlete; average arm; slow; has shown progress against high velocity pitching; chance for average hit tool; 6-0, 200 pounds

12. C Matthew Thaiss (Jackson Memorial HS, New Jersey): really good defensive tools; strong arm; big power, slowly manifesting; 6-0, 200 pounds

13. C Will Haynie (Brentwood Academy, Tennessee): plus arm; steady defender; big raw power; FAVORITE; 6-5, 230 pounds

14. C/RHP Adrian Chacon (Jesuit HS, Florida): interesting bat; excellent defender; strong arm; good athlete; 85-87 FB; 74-75 CB; 78 CU; good command; FAVORITE; 6-1, 200 pounds

15. C/OF Jake Sweaney (Garces Memorial HS, California): above-average arm; average or better power upside; great athlete; quick bat; average speed; FAVORITE; 6-2, 180 pounds

16. C Dom Nunez (Elk Grove HS, California): below-average speed; converted infielder; looks like a much better athlete now than he did last year; average raw power; very intriguing defensive tools; PG Jake Rodriguez comp; 6-1, 180 pounds

17. C Jonah Heim (Amherst HS, New York): good athlete; quick bat; good looking swing; average raw power; chance for average hit tool; average arm; steady defender; PG comp: Matt Wieters; 6-4, 200 pounds

18. C Iolana Akau (St. Louis School, Hawaii): plus arm; quick behind plate; excellent defensive ability; gap power; love his athleticism; 5-11, 170 pounds

19. C Jack Kruger (Oaks Christian HS, California): outstanding defensive tools, very strong presently; gap power

20. C Chuckie Robinson (Danville HS, Illinois): big raw power, more present than most; very strong arm; strong; 6-2, 230 pounds

21. C/2B Kean Wong (Waiakea HS, Hawaii): so much like his brother, it’s scary; above-average speed; short stroke; good athlete; little doubt he’ll hit; 5-11, 190 pounds

22. C Tres Barrera (Sharyland HS, Texas): current power to gaps; makes hard contact; strong arm; quick release; slow; 6-0, 200 pounds

23. C/RHP Ronnie Healy (Jupiter HS/Elev8 Institute, Florida): interesting bat; big power upside; advanced approach; questionable defense; plus arm strength; 92-94 FB

24. C Andrew Lindo (Oaks Christian HS, California): big power; good defensive tools

25. C/3B Chance Sisco (Santiago HS, California): average arm, not always on target; average power upside; good hitter; good athlete; strong potential as defender; 6-2, 180 pounds

26. C Xavier Hernandez (Puerto Rico Baseball Academy, Puerto Rico): good defender; intriguing power; strong hit tool; good athlete; above-average arm; 6-2, 210 pounds

27. C Kyle Devin (Lynn English HS, Massachusetts): interesting power; strong arm; intriguing defensive tools; 6-1, 210 pounds

28. C Cameron Whitehead (Moeller HS, Ohio): really good defender; line drive machine

29. C Gavin Collins (El Toro HS, California): strong; good hit tool; average at best arm; 6-1, 200 pounds

30. C Ryan McCarvel (Canyon Springs HS, California): strong arm; great athlete; 6-3, 180 pounds

31. C Anthony Sherlag (Marist HS, Georgia): good power; 6-3, 200 pounds

32. C Kevin Abraham (Mater Academy, Florida): average raw power; above-average defender; average arm

33. C/3B John Riley (Willow Glen HS, California): good arm; steady glove; interesting power, above-average raw power; good athlete; strong; 6-0, 210 pounds

34. C Rene Melendez (Caguas Military and Sports Academy, Puerto Rico): average arm; very agile; above-average defensively across the board; questionable bat; 6-1, 190 pounds

35. C/3B Jake Rogers (Canyon HS, Texas): good athlete; strong arm; good defensive upside; 6-2, 190 pounds

***

And now 16 bonus names because…well, why not?

36. C Michael Hernandez (Archbishop McCarthy HS, Florida): short stroke; strong arm; good agility behind plate

37. C Jason Delay (Northview HS, Georgia): really good defensive tools; strong arm

38. C Luis Ciuro (Monteverde Academy, Florida): great athlete; raw; strong arm

39. C Colton Waltner (Newbury Park HS, California): good athlete; good arm; gap power

40. C Carlos Diaz (Grandview Prep, Florida):  good speed; strong arm

41. C Brent Gibbs (Alton HS, Illinois): plus arm; really quick release

42. C Matthew Decker (Jesuit HS, Oregon): strong arm; average speed; 6-4, 210 pounds

43. C Jimmy Wright (Madison Central HS, Kentucky): some power upside; sloppy footwork; strong arm; soft hands

44. C Owen Spiwak (Cawthra Park SS, Ontario): good athlete; good defensive tools; 6-2, 180 pounds

45. C Logan Ice (Rogers HS, Washington): good defender; strong arm;

46. C Harrison Lyons (Mountain Ridge HS, Arizona): good athlete; above-average arm

47. C Lane Milligan (Cherry Creek HS, Colorado): good defender; 6-2, 175 pounds

48. C Gerald Ceballos (Carlos Beltran Baseball Academy, Puerto Rico): average speed; 6-1, 210 pounds

49. C Logan Koch (South Mecklenburg HS, North Carolina): good defender; strong arm

50. C Bronson Larson (Davis HS, Utah): strong defender

51. C Dominic Miroglio (Bishop O’Dowd Prep, California): strong arm; smart catcher

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2013 MLB Draft: Top 100 College Catching Prospects

28 May 2013 10:45 AM / 18 Comments on 2013 MLB Draft: Top 100 College Catching Prospects

A few quick notes before we get this thing kicked off. If you commented or emailed in the past few days, I’ll have a response by this evening. Here we go…

1. Stats are park/schedule adjusted from College Splits. I had to use a different cutoff for each list, but the catchers numbers should all be correct as of last Monday (5/20/13). I dug around for stats for all junior college and non-Division I players; those numbers are obviously as is, i.e. not park/schedule adjusted.

2. If your favorite player is missing, then chances are a lot higher it was a copy/paste fail and not my complete and utter lack of baseball knowledge. I mean, sure, it could still be the latter, but if there’s somebody obvious that I’ve ignored, please give a gentle reminder in the comments or via email (robozga at gmail dot com). It’s also possible I mentally shifted a guy’s position in my head, so don’t rule out your player suddenly popping up on another position list.

3. Players designated as FAVORITEs were given that tag prior to the season, or, in some cases, upon enrolling in college. In other words, just because a guy is a FAVORITE doesn’t mean he’s automatically guaranteed a high placement on the list. I’m stubborn about which players I like, true, but I’m also quite cognizant of the fact prospect status is fluid.

4. Final opinions are all mine, but information has been culled from a variety of sources. Like anybody likely reading this site, I’m an avid follower of all things Baseball America and Perfect Game. Seriously, if you are into the draft/prospects at all, I highly recommend getting subscriptions to both sites. I also have a small but trustworthy network of friends in the game I occasionally call upon for information on prospects, especially those off the beaten path. Consider the little scouting notes section on each player a synthesis on what I’ve read, heard, and seen about each player. I’m in no way an expert and literally nothing I write, positively or negatively, influences what pro teams actually do on draft day. I’m just a baseball loving guy who has taken a hobby way, way, way too far.

5. I’m happy to answer any and all questions I can over email or in the comments. Also, for the sake of my already waning sanity, I didn’t include everything I had on every player — you’ll see some blank spots sprinkled throughout — so please don’t hesitate to ask if there’s something about a specific guy you want answered.

Finally, this is just the college catching group. High school catchers will get their time in the sun soon.

***

I don’t think it is all that controversial to say that there’s a chance we won’t have a single average or better long-term big league starting catcher from this year’s college class. This is actually a very freeing possibility. Instead of picking apart the top guys like we so often do, we can instead focus our collective energy on finding good fits. You have projects with upside, high-floor players on the precipice of long careers as big league backups or third catcher insurance at AAA, and multi-position utility guys capable of helping a creative team use a bench spot. There is also the typical blend of prospects who fall into specific prospect archetypes: all glove/little bat, big bat/iffy glove, well-rounded but no plus tool, plus athleticism but still relatively new to catching, and, an old favorite, huge arm strength/tantalizing raw power but little else to offer.

You’ll notice in going through the list that I value athleticism a great deal when evaluating catching prospects. Defense is also prioritized, though I take the minority view that catchers can be made as easily as they are born. Good pro coaching can iron out a lot of the supposed “innate skills” that a college catcher may struggle with, provided the catcher has the requisite athleticism and makeup to make the adjustments. With a good athlete and willing student, things like receiving the ball, the glove to hand transfer, release, and all things footwork can be significantly cleaned up in the low-minors. Athleticism, approach, and all-around defensive acumen are probably my top three qualifications for the catching spot. With that in mind, here’s a great big ranking…

C

1. Georgia Tech JR C Zane Evans: uses whole field; solid defensive tools; strong arm; gap power at present, but more there; above-average raw power; late inning potential as reliever as fallback; 2012: 88-93 FB; flashes plus SL; good 76-80 CB; 81-83 CU with promise; 2013: 93-95 FB, 97 peak; plus mid-80s SL; 6-2, 215 pounds

2011: .279/.337/.412 – 21 BB/50 K – 226 AB
2012: .299/.369/.438 – 25 BB/42 K – 1/1 SB – 224 AB
2013: .396/.460/.668 – 29 BB/31 K – 0/0 SB – 217 AB

2012: 8.84 K/9 | 1.96 BB/9 | 4.02 FIP | 36.2 IP
2013: 6.87 K/9 | 5.40 BB/9 | 3.55 FIP | 18.1 IP

2. Mississippi JR C Stuart Turner: very good defender, plus upside; excellent athlete; strong arm; average at best speed, but smart on bases; love his power upside, at least average for me but others aren’t sold; crazy quick transfer and release, impressive agility behind plate; LSU-Eunice transfer; FAVORITE; 6-2, 220 pounds

2013: .412/.479/.583 – 26 BB/31 K – 2/5 SB – 199 AB

3. North Carolina JR C Brian Holberton: picture perfect swing mechanics; great athlete; has also seen time at 2B and OF; wears out the gaps; love his approach to hitting; may not be a catcher forever, may not be a catcher long-term, but has shown enough ability behind plate to warrant a shot in pro ball; FAVORITE; 5-11, 190 pounds

2011: .261/.356/.386 – 14 BB/14 K – 88 AB
2012: .280/.394/.373 – 21 BB/13 K – 1/1 SB – 118 AB
2013: .330/.455/.551 – 39 BB/22 K – 7/13 SB – 185 AB

4. California JR C Andrew Knapp: big upside with bat; above-average defender; above-average arm; love his approach; smart hitter, makes adjustments well; good power; some don’t like his defense like I do; uses whole field well; average speed; defense will come just needs experience; good athlete; 2013: defense has been disappointing, but I stubbornly believe he can at least hold his own; would rank in similar range (5-8) on college first base prospect list; FAVORITE; 6-1, 200 pounds

2011: .227/.307/.318 – 7 BB/22 K – 66 AB
2012: .270/.354/.422 – 24 BB/33 K – 4/7 SB – 211 AB
2013: .406/.481/.634 – 26 BB/33 K – 4/6 SB – 202 AB

5. Pittsburgh SO C Elvin Soto: good defender; quick hands; above-average arm strength; average at best hit tool; fits the well-rounded across the board mold nicely; 6-0, 200 pounds

2012: .236/.302/.384 – 14 BB/51 K – 1/2 SB – 216 AB
2013: .320/.415/.524 – 33 BB/34 K – 2/2 SB – 206 AB

6. Louisiana State JR C Ty Ross: big raw power, but has never hit much at all; impressive arm; much improved defender; well above-average glove now; defense could carry him to big leagues while development of bat remains difference between starter and backup; FAVORITE; 6-3, 210 pounds

2011: .223/.295/.277 – 13 BB/37 K – 148 AB
2012: .303/.369/.395 – 23 BB/22 K – 2/2 SB – 185 AB
2013: .230/.309/.303 – 19 BB/22 K – 1/2 SB – 165 AB

7. Dartmouth JR C/3B Jeff Keller: plus athlete; great approach, shows controlled aggression as a hitter; above-average present power; not a long-term catcher for many, but I think he’s skilled enough and more than athletic enough to give it a go; failing that, his positional versatility should keep him getting work; FAVORITE; 5-11, 180 pounds

2011: .310/.385/.524 – 9 BB/16 K – 84 AB
2012: .352/.436/.541 – 13 BB/18 K – 3/4 SB – 122 AB
2013: .376/.456/.730 – 19 BB/24 K – 7/7 SB – 141 AB

8. New Mexico SR C Mitchell Garver: some of the best bat speed of any college catcher; above-average pop; good approach; average or better hit tool; average arm, currently plays down to slow throwing motion and choppy footwork; average at best overall defender; good athlete; might be able to handle OF; 6-1, 200 pounds

2011: .274/.362/.370 – 30 BB/26 K – 230 AB
2012: .332/.397/.541 – 25 BB/28 K – 6/9 SB – 268 AB
2013: .357/.434/.534 – 27 BB/39 K – 10/13 SB – 221 AB

9. Vanderbilt JR C Spencer Navin: excellent defender; plus arm; quick release; great footwork; good athlete; should hit enough to be quality backup; 6-1, 200 pounds

2012: .309/.441/.420 – 32 BB/41 K – 10/16 SB – 188 AB
2013: .324/.457/.441 – 21 BB/33 K – 7/8 SB – 145 AB

10. Oregon State JR C/2B Jake Rodriguez: strong hit tool; good approach; solid defensive tools; definite utility future; good speed; plus arm; converted infielder; can also play some OF; gap power; has improved behind plate a great deal; strange comp, but he reminds me of Chace Numata; 5-9, 200 pounds

2011: .333/.400/.467 – 5 BB/8 K – 75 AB
2012: .295/.379/.375 – 13 BB/33 K – 4/5 SB – 176 AB
2013: .306/.420/.401 – 30 BB/27 K – 2/3 SB – 147 AB

11. Kirkwood CC SO C/3B Dairo Gonzalez: strong arm; interesting bat; average speed; 6-2, 200 pounds

2013: .413/.522/.699 – 30 BB/18 K – 4/6 SB – 143 AB

12. Cal State Fullerton JR C/1B Chad Wallach: good power upside; plus arm strength, but still figuring out how to use it behind plate; bat has a ways to go, but I’m a believer; relatively new to catching, but upside defensively is evident; slow; 6-3, 225 pounds

2012: .221/.295/.279 – 6 BB/11 K – 1/1 SB – 68 AB
2013: .328/.414/.482 – 13 BB/15 K – 1/3 SB – 137 AB

13. The Citadel JR C Joe Jackson: underrated offensive player; wish he hit better on Cape; competition a question, but has produced for three years; 6-1, 200 pounds

2011: .337/.403/.414 – 20 BB/19 K – 169 AB
2012: .297/.364/.415 – 22 BB/36 K – 4/4 SB – 229 AB
2013: .423/.517/.712 – 37 BB/27 K – 3/8 SB – 215 AB

14. Texas-Arlington JR C Greg McCall: above-average arm; solid defender; strong hit tool; like his measured approach to hitting; 6-1, 215 pounds

2011: .198/.317/.279 – 14 BB/28 K – 86 AB
2012: .200/.298/.263 – 22 BB/45 K – 0/0 SB – 175 AB
2013: .293/.431/.504 – 27 BB/23 K – 3/3 SB – 123 AB

15. Florida State rJR C Stephen McGee: good glove; average arm; consistently underrated bat; pros may not agree come draft day, but he’s my kind of hitter; 6-3, 220 pounds

2012: .230/.435/.275 – 65 BB/30 K – 2/6 SB – 204 AB
2013: .310/.475/.552 – 49 BB/29 K – 4/4 SB – 174 AB

16. Auburn JR C Blake Austin: good power upside; plus arm; good defender; good looking swing; 5-11, 215 pounds

2012: .296/.369/.448 – 9 BB/16 K – 125 AB – 3/3 SB
2013: .318/.358/.457 – 9 BB/24 K – 0/0 SB – 173 AB

17. New Mexico JC FR C Marcus Greene: physically strong; strong arm; improved defender; really good athlete; above-average speed; intriguing bat; FAVORITE; 5-11, 200 pounds

2013: .384/.465/.727 – 21 BB/32 K – 16/21 SB – 172 AB

18. Weatherford JC SO C/1B Hunter Lockwood: strong hit tool; might not stick at catcher; I like his defense enough; good arm; good speed; defense improving; plus power upside; might be able to stick in OF; still rough behind the plate; Oklahoma transfer; like the Andrew Knapp of the junior college ranks

2012: .227/.283/.459 – 14 BB/63 K – 6/10 SB – 185 AB
2013: .333/.423/.559 – 21 BB/32 K – 6/8 SB – 177 AB

19. Louisville JR C/1B Jeff Gardner: good power; can also play OF; 6-2, 220 pounds

2012: .293/.393/.407 – 15 BB/32 K – 2/5 SB – 167 AB
2013: .356/.430/.674 – 14 BB/16 K – 1/3 SB – 132 AB

20. Rutgers SR C Jeff Melillo: good approach; good defender; not much projection left, but value found in his steadying influence on a staff and mature approach to hitting; 6-2, 200 pounds

2012: .322/.435/.443 – 30 BB/31 K – 0/1 SB – 183 AB
2013: .325/.415/.500 – 29 BB/32 K – 3/3 SB – 194 AB

21. Cal State Bakersfield JR C/1B Cael Brockmeyer: good arm strength; average or better power upside; good approach to hitting; better than expected defensive tools for a big man; 6-5, 220 pounds

2011: .244/.299/.382 – 8 BB/34 K – 123 AB
2012: .285/.380/.460 – 22 BB/36 K – 0/0 SB – 200 AB
2013: .338/.414/.484 – 20 BB/37 K – 6/6 SB – 213 AB

22. UC Riverside SR C Clay Prestridge: versatile defender; good behind plate; excellent approach; good speed; 5-9, 180 pounds

2012: .269/.419/.327 – 37 BB/33 K – 9/10 SB – 171 AB
2013: .357/.458/.432 – 24 BB/32 K – 15/18 SB – 185 AB

23. Air Force SR C Garrett Custons: great athlete; good speed; plus-plus arm; 5-11, 200 pounds

2011: .282/.371/.469 – 19 BB/42 K – 209 AB
2012: .269/.359/.421 – 17 BB/34 K – 7/12 SB – 171 AB
2013: .332/.424/.473 – 19 BB/32 K – 14/19 SB – 205 AB

24. Duke SR C Jeff Kremer: great approach; steady glove; 5-11, 210 pounds

2011: .357/.472/.452 – 41 BB/27 K – 199 AB
2012: .310/.427/.386 – 25 BB/24 K – 1/2 SB – 171 AB
2013: .359/.466/.427 – 33 BB/16 K – 4/9 SB – 206 AB

25. Texas JR C Jacob Felts: average arm; average power upside; solid defensively, I like him here even more than most; been told he has a clear “backup catcher hit tool”; high marks for defensive skills that go unnoticed by many; like that he knows his strengths and weaknesses as a hitter; 6-0, 200 pounds

2011: .242/.321/.274 – 15 BB/33 K – 186 AB
2012: .324/.381/.372 – 11 BB/20 K – 2/4 SB – 188 AB
2013: .306/.378/.361 – 10 BB/20 K – 3/4 SB – 147 AB

26. North Carolina JR C Matt Roberts: well above-average defender with plus upside; intriguing raw power; tools remain, but hasn’t put it together at college level at all; 6-1, 200 pounds

2012: .111/.219/.148 – 3 BB/6 K – 0/0 SB – 27 AB
2013: .190/.265/.340 – 9 BB/23 K – 2/2 SB – 100 AB

27. Harford CC SO C Norm Donkin: good athlete; good speed; good arm; good power; could also play OF or 3B; 6-3, 220 pounds

2013: .379/.446/.538 – 20 BB/10 K – 30/31 SB – 182 AB

28. Alabama JR C/1B Wade Wass: strong arm; good defender, but others not sold; quick bat; power upside; too many swings and misses; injuries ruined his 2013 season; 6-0, 210 pounds

29. Fresno State SR C Austin Wynns: excellent defender; really good athlete; 6-2, 200 pounds

2011: .337/.426/.423 – 24 BB/22 K – 175 AB
2012: .289/.361/.407 – 20 BB/24 K – 1/1 SB – 194 AB
2013: .286/.370/.429 – 20 BB/22 K – 1/1 SB – 161 AB

30. Shippensburg SR C Tyler Shover: plus defender; plus arm; good approach; interesting raw power; 6-2, 185 pounds

2013: .357/.436/.491 – 24 BB/13 K – 5/8 SB – 171 AB

31. Fairfield JR C Ryan Plourde: average glove; intriguing bat; 6-0, 200 pounds

2012: .323/.425/.495 – 30 BB/35 K – 2/3 SB – 186 AB
2013: .360/.460/.503 – 30 BB/23 K – 14/15 SB – 175 AB

32. UC Irvine rSR C Ronnie Shaeffer: average arm; above-average defender; intriguing bat that needs polish; 6-2, 215 pounds

2011: .274/.326/.317 – 15 BB/33 K – 208 AB
2013: .322/.355/.420 – 10 BB/14 K – 1/4 SB – 205 AB

33. Baylor SR C Nathan Orf: 5-9, 170 pounds

2012: .303/.456/.389 – 35 BB/31 K – 18/21 SB – 234 AB
2013: .400/.490/.493 – 24 BB/23 K – 4/14 SB – 205 AB

34. Tennessee JR C Ethan Bennett: 6-0, 215 pounds

2011: .254/.354/.476 – 17 BB/24 K – 126 AB
2012: .179/.290/.330 – 10 BB/30 K – 112 AB – 2/2 SB
2013: .321/.455/.605 – 13 BB/17 K – 5/6 SB – 81 AB

35. San Diego SR C Dillon Haupt: plus arm strength; 6-5, 225 pounds

2012: .274/.384/.441 – 23 BB/32 K – 3/4 SB – 179 AB
2013: .313/.399/.594 – 19 BB/52 K – 2/2 SB – 192 AB

36. North Florida JR C/1B Ryan Roberson: 5-9, 215 pounds

2012: .301/.359/.451 – 11 BB/14 K – 1/1 SB – 153 AB
2013: .376/.447/.547 – 21 BB/11 K – 0/1 SB – 170 AB

37. Manhattan rSR C Ramon Ortega: plus defensive tools; 6-0, 200 pounds

2011: .356/.422/.469 – 18 BB/30 K – 160 AB
2012: .275/.377/.436 – 31 BB/27 K – 2/2 SB – 204 AB
2013: .356/.443/.550 – 26 BB/29 K – 2/2 SB – 180 AB

38. Louisville JR C Kyle Gibson: plus athlete; above-average speed; strong arm; raw defender, but getting there – considered at least average now; 5-9, 200 pounds

2011: .227/.297/.273 – 5 BB/8 K – 66 AB
2012: .285/.371/.343 – 10 BB/16 K – 3/4 SB – 137 AB
2013: .349/.388/.407 – 6 BB/8 K – 2/2 SB – 86 AB

39. Missouri JR C Dylan Kelly: plus defender; 5-11, 200 pounds

2013: .333/.400/.409 – 15 BB/21 K – 0/1 SB – 171 AB

40. Seattle rJR C/OF Ryan Somers: 6-0, 200 pounds

2012: .305/.396/.381 – 15 BB/21 K – 2/5 SB – 118 AB
2013: .321/.436/.442 – 38 BB/35 K – 6/8 SB – 190 AB

41. Arizona State SR C Max Rossiter: good defender; strong arm; 5-11, 185 pounds

2012: .319/.364/.442 – 9 BB/13 K – 0/0 SB – 138 AB
2013: .307/.404/.399 – 22 BB/21 K – 2/2 SB – 163 AB

42. Southern California JR C Jake Hernandez: plus defensive tools; good power upside; definite untapped upside here, but another guy like Felts and Roberts who hasn’t had the success many expected at the college level; 6-2, 200 pounds

2011: .233/.242/.267 – 1 BB/9 K – 60 AB
2012: .308/.360/.352 – 5 BB/10 K – 2/3 SB – 91 AB
2013: .255/.289/.340 – 5 BB/25 K – 1/1 SB – 106 AB

43. Huntington JR C/1B Joseph Odom: big power; strong arm; not a natural catcher, but much improved behind plate; 6-3, 200 pounds

2013: .369/.468/.706 – 31 BB/28 K – 6/8 SB – 160 AB

44. Dallas Baptist SR C/1B Duncan McAlpine: good approach; good defender; average but accurate arm; some power upside; 5-10, 215 pounds

2011: .224/.322/.362 – 25 BB/43 K – 174 AB
2012: .224/.339/.376 – 36 BB/51 K – 1/4 SB – 210 AB
2013: .305/.416/.615 – 33 BB/43 K – 3/3 SB – 200 AB

45. Washington State JR C/OF Collin Slaybaugh: good raw power; good speed; average defender; good athlete; plus arm; 6-1, 185 pounds

2011: .288/.382/.375 – 15 BB/19 K – 104 AB
2012: .280/.353/.352 – 13 BB/23 K – 6/7 SB – 125 AB
2013: .299/.365/.339 – 11 BB/34 K – 10/12 SB – 174 AB

46. Lee SR C Danny Canela: NC State transfer; not sure he’s strong enough behind plate to be a consistent viable option professionally – if I’m wrong, that’s great news for Canela’s prospect stock; at third, he’s a good enough defender who plays the position as you’d expect a part-time catcher would (i.e. often steady, never spectacular); interesting power potential; quick bat; great arm is biggest defensive asset; 5-10, 235 pounds

2011: .267/.349/.443 – 17 BB/26 K – 131 AB
2012: .339/.448/.522 – 38 BB/30 K – 0/0 SB – 180 AB
2013: .332/.443/.495 – 38 BB/17 K – 0/0 SB – 202 AB

47. Louisiana-Lafayette rSO C Mike Strentz: great athlete; quick bat; above-average arm; big raw power; strong; TJ survivor; 6-1, 200 pounds

2011: .237/.331/.374 – 17 BB/42 K – 139 AB
2012: .167/.235/.200 – 2 BB/14 K – 30 AB – 0/0 SB
2013: .358/.462/.648 – 16 BB/40 K – 5/7 SB – 176 AB

48. Saint Louis SR C/3B Grant Nelson: good athlete; strong arm; good defensive tools; average or better power upside; 6-2, 220 pounds

2012: .329/.419/.443 – 28 BB/48 K – 2/2 SB – 210 AB
2013: .384/.474/.535 – 33 BB/51 K – 3/5 SB – 198 AB

49. Virginia Tech rJR C Chad Morgan: big power potential; plus arm; great defender; bat is a question mark; kept waiting for him to make a leap, but never happened; 5-11, 185 pounds

2011: .237/.333/.360 – 16 BB/34 K – 139 AB
2012: .184/.263/.255 – 9 BB/18 K – 0/1 SB – 98 AB
2013: .276/.333/.379 – 11 BB/23 K – 3/5 SB – 145 AB

50. Chipola JC FR C Ian Rice: great approach; plus raw power; solid defender

2013: .323/.437/.458 – 18 BB/21 K – 4/5 SB – 96 AB

51. San Francisco JR C Zachary Turner: 6-4, 200 pounds

2013: .391/.432/.604 – 17 BB/41 K – 1/2 SB – 202 AB

52. Duke JR C Mike Rosenfeld: 5-10, 185 pounds

2012: .329/.403/.476 – 16 BB/48 K – 170 AB – 7/8 SB
2013: .393/.465/.557 – 8 BB/9 K – 2/3 SB – 61 AB

53. San Bernardino Valley JC SO C/RHP Ryan Miller: above-average to plus speed; above-average to plus arm; quick release; strong; 95 peak; would love to see him tried both ways next year at D-1 level; FAVORITE; 6-3, 215 pounds

2013: .345/.446/.475 – 20 BB/28 K – 11/12 SB – 139 AB

54. Southern Mississippi SR C Chase Fowler: very reliable defender; strong arm; 6-1, 180 pounds

2012: .224/.305/.276 – 10 BB/23 K – 2/2 SB – 134 AB
2013: .339/.407/.443 – 16 BB/16 K – 4/6 SB – 174 AB

55. Sam Houston State JR C Anthony Azar: 5-11, 185 pounds

2012: .354/.402/.497 – 14 BB/33 K – 1/1 SB – 175 AB
2013: .335/.401/.526 – 17 BB/24 K – 4/4 SB – 194 AB

56. San Diego State SR C Jake Romanski: really good defender; average arm; 5-10, 180 pounds

2012: .282/.329/.345 – 8 BB/23 K – 2/2 SB – 142 AB
2013: .342/.435/.403 – 28 BB/17 K – 6/9 SB – 196 AB

57. Texas State SR C Andrew Stumph: big raw power; very raw defensively; 6-0, 215 pounds

2011: .294/.336/.403 – 15 BB/33 K – 238 AB
2012: .236/.313/.339 – 19 BB/30 K – 0/0 SB – 174 AB
2013: .313/.396/.417 – 23 BB/15 K – 2/2 SB – 163 AB

58. Rice SR C Geoff Perrott: plus arm; good defender; 6-2, 200 pounds

2013: .316/.412/.392 – 14 BB/20 K – 2/3 SB – 158 AB

59. Georgia SR C/OF Brett DeLoach: good speed; has tools to catch, but arm might not be up for it health-wise; some power upside; 6-0, 200 pounds

2011: .276/.339/.447 – 12 BB/34 K – 152 AB
2012: .291/.388/.389 – 22 BB/20 K – 6/6 SB – 175 AB
2013: .290/.409/.426 – 32 BB/17 K – 6/9 SB – 176 AB

60. Mt. Olive SR C Geno Escalante: once a highly sought after high school prospect who has since bounced around; I don’t have much in the way of updated information on him outside of the numbers (below), but here’s what I wrote back when he was a prep catcher: “defense-first catcher, with a bat that needs plenty of polish to even be considered average; name makes it sound like he should be an East Coast prospect, but he’s a California kid who is committed to attend Cal State Fullerton if he doesn’t get paid; lesser version of Steve Baron in my mind”; 5-11, 215 pounds

2012: .436/.500/.662 – 21 BB/26 K – 4/8 SB – 225 AB
2013: .353/.453/.625 – 19 BB/32 K – 10/12 SB – 184 AB

61. Loyola Marymount SR C Colton Plaia: above-average defender; average arm, plays up thanks to footwork and accuracy; average power; 6-3, 225 pounds

2012: .332/.420/.466 – 23 BB/36 K – 1/5 SB – 193 AB
2013: .332/.394/.466 – 16 BB/34 K – 4/5 SB – 193 AB

62. Missouri State SR C Luke Voit: above-average power upside; good athlete; strong arm; defense remains the big question; 6-3, 230 pounds

2011: .296/.378/.448 – 23 BB/26 K – 203 AB
2012: .310/.387/.456 – 27 BB/43 K – 9/11 SB – 248 AB
2013: .317/.408/.422 – 25 BB/21 K – 8/10 SB – 199 AB

63. Purdue JR C/1B Sean McHugh: 5-11, 200 pounds

2013: .343/.396/.500 – 15 BB/21 K – 5/5 SB – 198 AB

64. Towson SR C Andrew Parker: 6-0, 220 pounds

2011: .269/.395/.433 – 20 BB/35 K – 171 AB
2012: .181/.305/.316 – 27 BB/50 K – 2/4 SB – 177 AB
2013: .261/.442/.510 – 35 BB/39 K – 1/6 SB – 153 AB

65. Siena SR C Larry Balkwill: 6-4, 210 pounds

2012: .299/.397/.473 – 22 BB/26 K – 0/0 SB – 167 AB
2013: .296/.404/.522 – 26 BB/41 K – 0/1 SB – 186 AB

66. North Carolina Greensboro rSR C/1B Trevor Edwards: 6-2, 210 pounds

2011: .296/.419/.531 – 25 BB/45 K – 179 AB
2012: .278/.376/.567 – 23 BB/35 K – 0/0 SB – 187 AB
2013: .296/.370/.546 – 23 BB/30 K – 1/1 SB – 216 AB

67. Elon SR C/RHP Alex Swim: good defender; plus arm; needs to put on weight; above-average speed; can play some OF; good bat control; 93-96 FB; wild; 6-0, 180 pounds

2011: .275/.312/.352 – 12 BB/11 K – 236 AB
2012: .353/.396/.444 – 20 BB/13 K – 7/10 SB – 241 AB
2013: .268/.323/.364 – 18 BB/14 K – 14/17 SB – 228 AB

68. Angelina JC C Matt Sinclair: big raw power; good enough defensive tools, but raw; needs some good coaching, swing revamped; 6-3, 225 pounds

2013: .343/.422/.400 – 9 BB/12 K – 2 SB – 70 AB

69. Riverside CC rFR C David Schuknecht: good power upside; good speed; strong arm; raw defender, but tools are there; missed 2012 season (labrum); Arizona transfer

2013: .248/.378/.444 – 16 BB/39 K – 3/7 SB – 117 AB

70. Kansas State rJR C Blair DeBord: 6-0, 195 pounds

2012: .251/.328/.335 – 16 BB/23 K – 0/0 SB – 167 AB
2013: .333/.421/.405 – 23 BB/19 K – 5/5 SB – 168 AB

71. San Jacinto JC SO C Braden Mattson: plus defensive tools; plus arm; strong; good athlete; legit plus speed; may not hit a ton; above-average power upside; questionable approach; I like his defense better than others; incredibly enticing tools package, but waiting on tools turning into skills offensively; TCU transfer; FAVORITE; 6-3, 200 pounds

2013: .268/.314/.390 – 9 BB/32 K – 7/7 SB – 164 AB

72. St. John’s JR C/1B Frank Schwindel: average defender at best; iffy arm; power upside; 6-1, 200 pounds

2011: .234/.268/.312 – 3 BB/10 K – 77 AB
2012: .322/.350/.416 – 6 BB/13 K – 0/0 SB – 202 AB
2013: .348/.368/.502 – 5 BB/17 K – 1/1 SB – 227 AB

73. Kansas JR C/SS/2B Kai’ana Eldredge: average speed; above-average arm; great athlete; gap power; raw behind plate, but agile enough to figure it out; plus arm; 6-0, 200 pounds

2011: .255/.331/.376 – 15 BB/45 K – 157 AB
2012: .178/.245/.199 – 11 BB/37 K – 3/7 SB – 146 AB
2013: .226/.333/.267 – 22 BB/29 K – 4/6 SB – 146 AB

74. Mississippi State SR C Mitch Slauter: really good defender, fun to watch; 6-1, 210 pounds

2012: .232/.359/.327 – 35 BB/44 K – 0/2 SB – 220 AB
2013: .247/.383/.355 – 15 BB/26 K – 2/2 SB – 93 AB

75. Mississippi JR C Will Allen: strong defensive tools; skilled hitting it all over the field, but not a ton of pull-side power; 6-3, 220 pounds

2011: .227/.265/.402 – 5 BB/29 K – 97 AB
2012: .307/.338/.396 – 7 BB/30 K – 2/3 SB – 202 AB
2013: .262/.299/.351 – 10 BB/32 K – 2/2 SB – 191 AB

76. South Carolina SR C Dante Rosenberg: plus defender; 5-11, 180 pounds

2013: .352/.400/.481 – 3 BB/8 K – 0/0 SB – 54 AB

77. Pepperdine rSR C Nate Johnson: very pretty swing; below-average runner; solid defender; average arm; 6-1, 210 pounds

2011: .263/.356/.339 – 17 BB/25 K – 118 AB
2013: .350/.409/.550 – 3 BB/8 K – 0/0 SB – 40 AB

78. San Diego rSR C/OF Austin Green: plus arm; very raw defensively behind plate, but has improved a ton; promising bat; good athlete; arm works really well, very quick release; 6-2, 200 pounds

2012: .200/.256/.275 – 2 BB/10 K – 0/0 SB – 40 AB
2013: .301/.352/.490 – 8 BB/26 K – 1/2 SB – 143 AB

79. Western Oklahoma State JC rFR C Sicnarf Loopstok: strong arm; good agility; can also play 2B and 3B in a pinch; interesting power; 5-10, 200 pounds

2013: .370/.436/.655 – 11 BB/26 K – 6/8 SB – 119 AB

80. Wake Forest JR C Charlie Morgan: 6-3, 210 pounds

2011: .232/.318/.366 – 15 BB/31 K – 112 AB
2012: .246/.329/.391 – 24 BB/37 K – 2/3 SB – 179 AB
2013: .293/.399/.420 – 25 BB/22 K – 1/1 SB – 150 AB

81. Wake Forest SR C Brett Armour: good athlete; average speed; strong arm; really like his actions behind plate; 6-2, 190 pounds

2011: .197/.300/.274 – 19 BB/41 K – 157 AB
2012: .236/.285/.364 – 10 BB/35 K – 4/5 SB – 165 AB
2013: .297/.354/.417 – 14 BB/30 K – 1/3 SB – 175 AB

82. Stanford JR C Brant Whiting: 5-11, 180 pounds

2013: .398/.453/.487 – 11 BB/24 K – 0/0 SB – 113 AB

83. North Florida SR C/1B Paul Karmeris: 5-11, 190 pounds

2012: .261/.333/.373 – 11 BB/26 K – 5/7 SB – 134 AB
2013: .340/.405/.443 – 23 BB/19 K – 7/11 SB – 212 AB

84. Bowling Green JR C/1B Jeremy Shay: 6-0, 220 pounds

2012: .229/.333/.367 – 21 BB/44 K – 6/8 SB – 166 AB
2013: .309/.409/.500 – 22 BB/33 K – 1/4 SB – 162 AB

85. Santa Clara SR C Quinton Perry: 6-3, 210 pounds

2012: .198/.271/.375 – 8 BB/34 K – 1/3 SB – 96 AB
2013: .279/.354/.523 – 11 BB/27 K – 4/4 SB – 86 AB

86. Florida Gulf Coast SR C Mike Reeves: untapped power; improved defender; FAVORITE; 6-0, 200 pounds

2011: .331/.423/.440 – 28 BB/24 K – 175 AB
2012: .272/.392/.289 – 32 BB/24 K – 0/1 SB – 180 AB
2013: .391/.464/.456 – 27 BB/24 K – 0/0 SB – 215 AB

87. Bowling Green JR C TJ Losby: 6-1, 210 pounds

2012: .275/.356/.390 – 17 BB/33 K – 1/4 SB – 182 AB
2012: .330/.386/.457 – 13 BB/19 K – 3/5 SB – 188 AB

88. Mississippi State SR C Nick Ammirati: really strong defender; Seton Hall transfer; 5-9, 190 pounds

2013: .301/.371/.350 – 12 BB/19 K – 2/3 SB – 123 AB

89. Coastal Carolina rSO C Will Remillard: solid defender; strong arm; Temple transfer; 6-1, 190 pounds

2013: .290/.343/.403 – 12 BB/17 K – 2/3 SB – 186 AB

90. Chattahoochee Valley CC SO C Cody Walker: good defensive tools; strong arm; quick transfer; receives ball well; bat lags behind, but good 2013 season gives hope; 5-11, 190 pounds

2013: .348/.493/.438 – 16 BB/19 K – 2 SB – 112 AB

91. Montevallo  JR C Jackson Slaid: raw defender, but good tools; solid arm; slow release; average speed; strong hit tool; LSU transfer; 5-9, 190 pounds

2013: .329/.385/.514 – 15 BB/34 K – 13/16 SB – 216 AB

92. St. John’s SR C Danny Bethea: 6-1, 215 pounds

2012: .251/.371/.335 – 25 BB/22 K – 1/2 SB
2013: .285/.367/.392 – 22 BB/18 K – 6/9 SB – 186 AB

93. Boston College SR C Matt Paré: 6-0, 200 pounds

2012: .267/.425/.418 – 25 BB/37 K – 0/1 SB – 146 AB
2013: .295/.405/.425 – 16 BB/23 K – 0/0 SB – 146 AB

94. Texas A&M JR C Troy Stein: 6-1, 210 pounds

2012: .304/.390/.411 – 22 BB/43 K – 1/2 SB – 158 AB
2013: .335/.388/.492 – 13 BB/35 K – 3/3 SB – 179 AB

95. Arkansas JR C Jake Wise: really good defender; plus arm; 6-0, 200 pounds

2012: .238/.335/.335 – 20 BB/38 K – 2/3 SB – 164 AB
2013: .206/.308/.288 – 24 BB/20 K – 3/5 SB – 170 AB

96. Bradley JR C Austin Jarvis: plus-plus arm; quick release; great footwork; questionable hit tool; 5-9, 190 pounds

2012: .242/.294/.336 – 5 BB/19 K – 1/2 SB – 149 AB
2013: .232/.314/.280 – 7 BB/21 K – 1/1 SB – 125 AB

97. Oklahoma State rJR C Rick Stover: plus defender; plus arm; 5-10, 225 pounds

2013: .300/.333/.475 – 1 BB/9 K – 0/0 SB – 40 AB

98. Liberty JR C/RHP Danny Grauer: flashes interesting power, but still may be best long-term on mound; 88-92 FB, 93 peak; 6-2, 225 pounds

2012: .239/.379/.326 – 10 BB/9 K – 0/0 SB – 46 AB
2013: .327/.409/.551 – 17 BB/36 K – 0/0 SB – 156 AB

99. UNC Asheville SR C Ian Graham: 5-11, 210 pounds

2012: .273/.386/.344 – 23 BB/26 K – 0/0 SB – 154 AB
2013: .331/.438/.477 – 31 BB/25 K – 0/1 SB – 172 AB

100. South Carolina Upstate JR C Luke Weber: 6-3, 220 pounds

2012: .283/.361/.361 – 26 BB/30 K – 0/0 SB – 205 AB
2013: .327/.399/.477 – 17 BB/35 K – 0/0 SB – 199 AB

***

And because I can’t help myself, here are 49 extra players to keep tabs on for draft day and beyond…

101. Marist JR C Zach Passerelle: 6-4, 220 pounds

2013: .305/.404/.422 – 24 BB/30 K – 3/4 SB – 154 AB

102. Austin Peay State JR C PJ Torres: 5-11, 200 pounds

2012: .217/.333/.362 – 20 BB/37 K – 0/1 SB – 138 AB
2013: .266/.378/.468 – 24 BB/35 K – 1/4 SB – 158 AB

103. Seminole State CC SO C Darryl Knight: aggressive; above-average arm; both raw defensively and at plate; 6-2, 200 pounds

2013: .263/.376/.453 – 17 BB/39 K – 3/4 SB – 137 AB

104. TCU JR C Kyle Bacak: really good defender; strong arm; 5-9, 180 pounds

2013: .288/.363/.317 – 14 BB/17 K – 0/0 SB – 139 AB

105. South Alabama SR C Whitt Dorsey: 5-10, 180 pounds

2012: .327/.398/.410 – 13 BB/18 K – 3/4 SB – 205 AB
2013: .346/.446/.406 – 19 BB/8 K – 0/2 SB – 133 AB

106. George Mason JR C Tucker Tobin

2013: .332/.388/.560 – 14 BB/35 K – 6/8 SB – 184 AB

107. Michigan State JR C/1B Joel Fisher: 6-2, 215 pounds

2011: .245/.326/.323 – 15 BB/34 K – 155 AB
2012: .295/.336/.394 – 4 BB/20 K – 0/0 SB – 132 AB
2013: .253/.330/.416 – 17 BB/38 K – 0/0 SB – 178 AB

108. Minnesota rSR C Kurt Schlangen: 6-0, 185 pounds

2012: .259/.302/.309 – 10 BB/18 K – 5/9 SB – 162 AB
2013: .376/.421/.409 – 7 BB/13 K – 6/12 SB – 149 AB

109. Wisconsin-Milwaukee SR C Will Fadness: 5-11, 200 pounds

2012: .305/.346/.474 – 8 BB/19 K – 1/2 SB – 190 AB
2013: .333/.413/.469 – 13 BB/12 K – 3/4 SB – 147 AB

110. Lynn JR C/3B Sal Giardina: raw defender; plus arm strength; interesting raw power; 6-4, 200 pounds

2013: .283/.384/.480 – 8 BB/24 K – 1/2 SB – 127 AB

111. Miami-Dade JC rFR C Mario Amaral: power upside; 6-1, 210 pounds

2013: .352/.392/.445 – 10 BB/23 K – 9/11 SB – 128 AB

112. Nebraska SO C Tanner Lubach: strong hit tool; improving behind plate; 6-0, 180 pounds

2013: .294/.369/.364 – 15 BB/28 K – 2/3 SB – 143 AB

113. Wright State SR C Garrett Gray: 6-1, 225 pounds

2012: .311/.339/.457 – 8 BB/19 K – 0/0 SB – 164 AB
2013: .328/.365/.489 – 12 BB/21 K – 8/8 SB – 186 AB

114. North Dakota JR C Zack Trygstad: 6-1, 200 pounds

2011: .248/.349/.355 – 18 BB/28 K – 141 AB
2012: .260/.332/.333 – 17 BB/24 K – 3/3 SB – 177 AB
2013: .311/.397/.424 – 18 BB/15 K – 2/4 SB – 132 AB

115. North Florida SR C Corey Bass: good defender; strong arm; bat isn’t much; 5-9, 200 pounds

2011: .306/.404/.371 – 16 BB/24 K – 124 AB
2012: .214/.309/.275 – 14 BB/33 K – 1/2 SB – 131 AB
2013: .320/.396/.472 – 20 BB/45 K – 4/8 SB – 178 AB

116. Miami (Ohio) JR C John Crummy: 6-1, 200 pounds

2012: .299/.343/.341 – 8 BB/29 K – 0/0 SB – 167 AB
2013: .365/.397/.485 – 5 BB/19 K – 0/0 SB – 167 AB

117. Mercer JR C Austin Barrett: good defender; good arm, plays up due to release; no real standout tool, but solid across board; 6-2, 200 pounds

2012: .271/.399/.400 – 31 BB/23 K – 2/3 SB – 140 AB
2013: .284/.353/.431 – 20 BB/36 K – 2/4 SB – 197 AB

118. Fresno State rSR C Trent Garrison: plus-plus arm; could be tried on mound; missed 2011 due to ACL injury; 6-0, 190 pounds

2012: .344/.396/.436 – 15 BB/28 K – 0/1 SB – 195 AB
2013: .290/.344/.369 – 13 BB/28 K – 3/6 SB – 176 AB

119. Southern Illinois JR C Matt Jones: 6-0, 185 pounds

2013: .302/.368/.428 – 21 BB/32 K – 1/1 SB – 222 AB

120. Western Kentucky SR C Devin Kelly: 6-3, 225 pounds

2012: .236/.304/.366 – 12 BB/24 K – 1/1 SB – 123 AB
2013: .281/.425/.416 – 40 BB/47 K – 4/5 SB – 185 AB

121. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi SR C/OF Eric Weiss: 6-1, 200 pounds

2012: .261/.352/.372 – 29 BB/44 K – 8/15 SB – 199 AB
2013: .327/.401/.480 – 24 BB/39 K – 9/14 SB – 202 AB

122. Hofstra JR C Matt Reistetter: 5-10, 180 pounds

2012: .246/.327/.304 – 14 BB/16 K – 5/12 SB – 138 AB
2013: .315/.374/.416 – 15 BB/23 K – 6/13 SB – 178 AB

123. Polk State JC C Erik Hindmon: plus defender; not a ton of power

2013: .289/.358/.321 – 15 BB/25 K – 5/5 SB – 187 AB

124. Longwood JR C Scott Burkett: 5-11, 210 pounds

2012: .344/.431/.599 – 16 BB/26 K – 4/6 SB – 157 AB
2013: .339/.384/.452 – 11 BB/33 K – 0/0 SB – 186 AB

125. North Carolina Greensboro SR C/OF Zach Leach: 6-2, 200 pounds

2012: .303/.373/.436 – 18 BB/25 K – 6/8 SB – 165 AB
2013: .322/.379/.448 – 13 BB/33 K – 9/12 SB – 143 AB

126. Furman SR C/1B Paul Nitto: 6-1, 200 pounds

2011: .271/.342/.418 – 16 BB/38 K – 170 AB
2012: .287/.380/.416 – 24 BB/31 K – 2/3 SB – 178 AB
2013: .292/.358/.436 – 13 BB/35 K – 0/0 SB – 202 AB

127. Maine JR C/RHP Fran Whitten: 6-4, 210 pounds

2011: .241/.318/.421 – 13 BB/31 K – 133 AB
2012: .301/.365/.425 – 11 BB/27 K – 3/5 SB – 186 AB
2013: .300/.366/.450 – 5 BB/15 K – 2/2 SB – 100 AB

2012: 8.24 K/9 | 4.26 BB/9 | 3.93 FIP | 31.2 IP

128. Portland rSR C Beau Fraser: 6-1, 220 pounds

2012: .245/.333/.330 – 12 BB/17 K – 0/0 SB – 94 AB
2013: .268/.351/.315 – 17 BB/26 K – 0/2 SB – 127 AB

129. Maryland SR C Jack Cleary: 6-2, 205 pounds

2012: .336/.410/.405 – 8 BB/13 K – 2/3 SB – 116 AB
2013: .230/.354/.328 – 12 BB/16 K – 0/0 SB – 122 AB

130. Minnesota JR C Matt Halloran: good defender; 5-10, 175 pounds

2011: .125/.152/.219 – 1 BB/12 K – 32 AB
2012: .340/.415/.440 – 12 BB/23 K – 0/1 SB – 150 AB
2013: .260/.319/.386 – 7 BB/21 K – 1/1 SB – 127 AB

131. Presbyterian rSR C Robby Swab: good approach; 6-0, 200 pounds

2012: .302/.406/.326 – 21 BB/18 K – 1/4 SB – 129 AB
2013: .315/.419/.382 – 14 BB/10 K – 0/0 SB – 89 AB

132. Lehigh JR C Joe Abeln

2012: .270/.349/.388 – 17 BB/19 K – 7/9 SB – 152 AB
2013: .317/.432/.384 – 18 BB/21 K – 7/9 SB – 164 AB

133. Grambling State SR C Jose Longoria: 6-0, 170 pounds

2012: .307/.375/.392 – 12 BB/15 K – 2/4 SB – 153 AB
2013: .270/.350/.326 – 19 BB/17 K – 6/7 SB – 178 AB

134. Butler SR C Radley Haddad: plus defender, does everything well behind dish; plus arm; ML-ready glove; quick feet; ball gets out in a hurry; Western Carolina transfer; questionable bat; 6-1, 190 pounds

2012: .253/.352/.331 – 19 BB/29 K – 0/1 SB – 166 AB
2013: .249/.369/.355 – 27 BB/38 K – 0/2 SB – 169 AB

135. Iowa SR C Dan Sheppard: really good defender; some pop; TJ survivor; 6-0, 190 pounds

2012: .234/.318/.287 – 8 BB/22 K – 3/3 SB – 94 AB
2013: .253/.307/.297 – 4 BB/19 K – 2/3 SB – 91 AB

136. North Dakota State JR C/OF Kyle Kleinendorst: 6-1, 200 pounds

2012: .200/.301/.366 – 17 BB/34 K – 0/0 SB – 145 AB
2013: .326/.405/.449 – 10 BB/41 K – 7/8 SB – 138 AB

137. Holy Cross SR C/1B Stephen Wadsworth: 6-2, 230 pounds

2011: .283/.348/.428 – 14 BB/28 K – 145 AB
2012: .228/.287/.329 – 9 BB/32 K – 1/1 SB – 149 AB
2013: .277/.359/.385 – 13 BB/29 K – 6/8 SB – 148 AB

138. Toledo JR C James Miglin: 6-4, 230 pounds

2012: .269/.351/.381 – 17 BB/21 K – 0/1 SB – 197 AB
2013: .281/.328/.400 – 6 BB/25 K – 0/0 SB – 185 AB

139. Penn State JR C Alex Farkes: 6-3, 215 pounds

2011: .233/.421/.256 – 10 BB/10 K – 43 AB
2012: .205/.280/.277 – 7 BB/21 K – 1/2 SB – 83 AB
2013: .284/.346/.328 – 6 BB/21 K – 0/1 SB – 116 AB

140. Albany rJR C/1B/OF Josh Nethaway: 6-2, 220 pounds

2012: .282/.353/.399 – 14 BB/28 K – 1/3 SB – 163 AB
2013: .284/.347/.415 – 8 BB/25 K – 1/1 SB – 176 AB

141. Arkansas-Little Rock SR C Blake Johnson: 6-0, 190 pounds

2012: .285/.372/.497 – 19 BB/43 K – 3/4 SB – 165 AB
2013: .321/.413/.510 – 29 BB/50 K – 8/12 SB – 196 AB

142. Towson SR C Zach Fisher: 5-9, 190 pounds

2012: .284/.376/.414 – 22 BB/29 K – 5/6 SB – 162 AB
2013: .307/.403/.366 – 29 BB/46 K – 14/20 SB – 205 AB

143. Cal Poly JR C Chris Hoo: really, really good defender; strong arm; 5-9, 185 pounds

2012: .253/.337/.359 – 15 BB/35 K – 0/1 SB – 170 AB
2013: .211/.278/.296 – 5 BB/13 K – 0/0 SB – 71 AB

144. UAB SR C/1B Harry Clark: 6-2, 200 pounds

2011: .240/.342/.271 – 19 BB/19 K – 129 AB
2012: .292/.380/.333 – 15 BB/10 K – 1/1 SB – 120 AB
2013: .273/.376/.295 – 17 BB/18 K – 1/2 SB – 139 AB

145. Illinois State JR C Mike Hollenbeck: good power; strong arm; defense a question; 6-2, 210 pounds

2011: .259/.371/.389 – 28 BB/24 K – 162 AB
2012: .316/.427/.435 – 35 BB/28 K – 1/1 SB – 177 AB
2013: .297/.377/.331 – 22 BB/34 K – 1/2 SB – 172 AB

146. McNeese State SR C/1B Michael Sullivan:

2012: .212/.272/.321 – 11 BB/40 K – 0/0 SB – 156 AB
2013: .292/.345/.366 – 11 BB/23 K – 0/0 SB – 161 AB

147. San Diego State rSO C Brad Haynal: good defensive tools; broken leg kept him out in 2012; 6-3, 200 pounds

2011: .248/.358/.384 – 15 BB/29 K – 125 AB
2013: .255/.318/.389 – 11 BB/45 K – 1/3 SB – 157 AB

148. Texas State rJR C Tyler Pearson: solid defender; well above-average arm; Rice transfer; 6-1, 190 pounds

2013: .250/.373/.292 – 21 BB/38 K – 1/2 SB – 168 AB

149. Central Arkansas JR C Kraig Kelley: strong arm; great footwork; really strong defensive tools; bat is a question; Oklahoma Wesleyan transfer; 6-0, 180 pounds

2012: .180/.307/.213 – 10 BB/27 K – 1/1 SB – 61 AB
2013: .234/.400/.266 – 16 BB/18 K – 0/0 SB – 64 AB

Let’s Talk College Catching

22 Apr 2013 1:05 AM / 8 Comments on Let’s Talk College Catching

1. Apologies for not being around much of late, but a handful of side projects and the seemingly constant stream of grad school research/paper writing has left me with little time to write for the site. As always, be assured that there’s been lots of updating of materials going on behind the scenes, so get excited for what I like to think is my annual strong content push in the weeks leading up to draft day.

2. Huge thank you to the two individuals who emailed me asking me, in so many words, if I was still in one piece after the recent attacks in Boston. I’ve obviously sent personal emails back — seriously, thanks again — but, egomaniacal fellow that I am, figured that if two strangers were concerned enough to ask then there might be one or two less vocal worriers out there as well. I’m good. My undergrad days in Boston are long gone and I’m a few hundred miles south now. Scary, unimaginably horrible stuff all the same, but I’m good.

3. Personal bookkeeping finally out of the way, how about a list? Here are some ground rules before this thing gets picked apart:

I’ve updated the list as much as possible based on any and all updated scouting information (note: this is still not perfect, as evidenced by the too high ranking of Matt Roberts and the too low ranking of Elvin Soto), but haven’t had a chance to run each prospect’s 2013 numbers through any kind of meaningful statistical testing. Because of this, I strongly considered scrapping the whole ranking aspects of the list and going with a generic alphabetized “follow list” like I’ve done in the past. I’m going with the tentatively ranked list for now because I do think it shows a decent snapshot of where certain players were ranked by me heading into the season.

I’m happy to answer any specific questions and provide any answers about forthcoming changes (e.g. Roberts down, Soto up) in the comments or via email. I’m also planning on slotting in players from elsewhere around college ball, including the juco ranks, in the coming days.

VERY IMPORTANT NOTE: The list only includes players from the conferences I’ve profiled so far. That would be the Big 10, SEC, ACC, Big East, Ivy, Mountain West, WCC, Sun Belt, Pac 12, WAC, Conference USA, Missouri Valley, and Big 12. As referenced above, players from the rest of college ball will be added in the very near future.

  1. California JR C Andrew Knapp
  2. Mississippi JR C Stuart Turner
  3. LSU JR C Tyler Ross
  4. North Carolina JR C Matt Roberts
  5. New Mexico SR C Mitchell Garver
  6. Texas JR C Jacob Felts
  7. Dartmouth JR C Jeff Keller
  8. Vanderbilt JR C Spencer Navin
  9. Auburn JR C Blake Austin
  10. Loyola Marymount SR C Colton Plaia
  11. North Carolina JR C Brian Holberton
  12. Air Force SR C Garrett Custons
  13. Oregon State JR C Jake Rodriguez
  14. Washington State JR C Collin Slaybaugh
  15. San Diego SR C Dillon Haupt
  16. Arizona State SR C Max Rossiter
  17. Southern California JR C Jake Hernandez
  18. Louisville JR C Kyle Gibson
  19. Pittsburgh SO C Elvin Soto
  20. Fresno State SR C Austin Wynns
  21. Virginia Tech rJR C Chad Morgan
  22. Cal State Bakersfield JR C Cael Brockmeyer
  23. Duke SR C Jeff Kremer
  24. Rutgers SR C Jeff Melillo
  25. Fresno State rSR C Trent Garrison
  26. Missouri State SR C Luke Voit
  27. Missouri JR C Dylan Kelly
  28. Illinois State JR C Mike Hollenbeck
  29. Bradley JR C Austin Jarvis
  30. Georgia SR C Brett DeLoach
  31. Mississippi State SR C Mitch Slauter
  32. Arkansas JR C Jake Wise
  33. Mississippi JR C Will Allen
  34. Alabama JR C Wade Wass
  35. Wake Forest SR C Brett Armour
  36. St. John’s JR C Frank Schwindel
  37. Florida Atlantic SR C Mike Spano
  38. Central Florida SR C Ryan Breen
  39. Texas State rJR C Tyler Pearson
  40. Louisiana Tech rJR C Kyle Arnsberg
  41. Texas State SR C Andrew Stumph
  42. Dallas Baptist SR C Duncan McAlpine
  43. Baylor SR C Nathan Orf
  44. Kansas JR C Kai’ana Eldredge
  45. South Carolina SR C Dante Rosenberg

If you’ve made it this far, thanks. Here’s a quick idea of what the immediate future holds. First, I’ve got a paper that needs to be written between now and Thursday. Once that’s out of the way, things will pick up for a bit. In the meantime, I’m hoping to a) continue updating the college catcher rankings and perhaps move on to other positions, b) finish my thoughts on the SEC, and c) do a little MLB Draft/NFL Draft mock draft remix before Thursday’s first round.

Projecting the First Round: MLB Draft 2013 Catching Prospects

12 Nov 2012 10:10 PM / Leave a comment

“Locks”

C: Reese McGuire (1)

There really is no such thing as a “lock” this early in the process, but fortune favors the bold — we might be disqualified from bold due to our wimpy use of quotes around lock — so we’ll go ahead and pretend we can see the future anyway. McGuire is the kind of high school catching prospect so far ahead of his peers that he makes me want to compare him against top guys from previous years. Stay tuned for that. In the meantime, ponder how high you’d be willing to take a chance on a plus-plus defender with ridiculous athleticism, a pretty swing, and the chance for double-digit home run power.

Definite Maybes

Too Wide Open to Guess

*****

In no order, any one of the following could break through as the clear cut second prep catcher off the board: Jeremy Martinez, Chris Okey, Nick Ciuffo, Jonathan Denney, and Brian Navaretto. I’ve gone back and forth on the second spot all spring, but, forced to choose on this early date, I’d have Denney and Navaretto just ahead of the pack. I’m only comfortable declaring McGuire is a sure-fire first round pick at this point because of the way pro teams view high school catchers early on in the draft.

This catching class has the potential to be special, but some draft day perspective is key: the last first round with more than two high school catchers selected was 1994 (Paul Konerko, Ramon Castro, and Mark Johnson). I typically don’t care for making projections like this — every draft pool has talent dispersed differently and judging things based solely off historical trends ends up in insisting the Pirates would never take a signablity risk like Jameson Taillon — but I do think there’s something to be said for teams being cautious with projecting young catching early on in the draft. Of all the positions that get hyped up pre-draft by fools like me, catcher is the one spot you consistently fail to see the hype match the selection spot.

Look to 2009, the draft year that many (myself included) will likely be comparing to this 2013 group of catchers before long: Steven Baron went with pick 33 (first prep backstop off the board), Tommy Joseph pick 55, Cameron Garfield pick 74, JR Murphy pick 76, Wil Myers pick 91 (though signability had some to do with it), Max Stassi pick 123, Luke Bailey pick 139 (injury can explain this fall in part), Michael Ohlman pick 326, Andrew Susac pick 497, Gene Escalante pick 856, Mike Zunino pick 873, and Austin Maddox pick 1129. Some of those guys were getting legitimate early round buzz (Stassi, Ohlman, and Maddox stand out) at various points along the process. Draft day has a way of doing weird things to how teams value prep catching. McGuire and one or two others (TBD) will likely constitute this year’s high school catching first round contingent.

As far as the college side goes, well, the less written the better. The names below aren’t necessarily the best of the best at this time, but instead a few names that I think could rise (or, in some cases, continue to rise) up draft boards this spring. Tyler Ross and Andrew Knapp were the first two on my internal big board from a few months ago, but I have a lot more homework to do to have a fuller idea on the entirety of the college catching class. A quick run through revealed a whole lot of players who profile as defense-first backups (Texas JR Jacob Felt fits the bill here) without a great deal of upside at the plate.

In fact, a really strong argument can be made that there are anywhere from a half-dozen (the six names mentioned on this page are a good start) to a baker’s dozen better high school catching prospects better than even the top college backstop. I’m not yet prepared to make that argument — again, I have some homework to do before I can make fun declarative statements that will look insane by June — but it is one that may come up again in this space over the next few months. In no order, here a few of the college names (again, in no particular order and not necessarily a projection of the six best prospects come June) that have caught my eye early on in the process. Worth pointing out that I don’t think any of the players below have a realistic shot to even approach the first round.

  • Matt Roberts (North Carolina)
  • Tyler Ross (Louisiana State)
  • Blake Austin (Auburn)
  • Andrew Knapp (California)
  • Austin Wynns (Fresno State)
  • Matt Sinclair (Angelina JC)