Name: Travis d’Arnaud
DOB: 2/10/89
Organization: Blue Jays
Position: Catcher
Notable 2011 Stats: .311/.371/.542 with 33 2B, 1 3B, 21 HR, 100/33 K/BB, and 4-for-6 SB in 114 games with New Hampshire (AA)
Why He’s This High: After two straight years of underperforming his scouting reports, d’Arnaud had a breakout season in 2011, ripping 55 extra-base hits in 114 games. That’d be a nice showing from anyone, but it obviously carries extra weight coming from a 22-year-old Double-A catcher.
While he’s still somewhat raw defensively, d’Arnaud boasts good athleticism for a catcher and should evolve into a solid defender in time. His defensive upside is quite similar to the player who precedes him on this list, Reds catcher Yasmani Grandal, but d’Arnaud has the edge in power potential, is three months younger, and has more upper-minors experience, so he edged out Grandal on this list.
Why He’s This Low: What makes Grandal and d’Arnaud so close in potential value, in spite of d’Arnaud’s aforementioned advantages, is the Blue Jays prospect’s weak approach. His K/BB ratio was basically 3/1 this past season, and his walk rates have always been right around 7%. While 2011 certainly saw him break out in the power department, his approach was no better than it was in his lackluster 2010 campaign. It’s tough to be an elite major league hitter if you don’t control the strike zone, after all.
In order to move up the list from here, d’Arnaud will have to both tighten up his plate approach and prove his 2011 breakout was not an anomaly. He’ll also need to further refine his defense after allowing 13 passed balls and throwing out just 27% of basestealers in 2011.
Conclusions: It was nice to see d’Arnaud’s production begin to catch up to his considerable hype this year, but there are still flaws he needs to correct, and like Grandal, he shouldn’t count on his BABIP staying in the .360 range, especially as he faces tougher pitching. Still, d’Arnaud is a potential All-Star catcher if he can put it all together, and he’s just 23; catchers tend to develop later than most. He’s the most talented of the Jays’ enviable group of good young catchers.
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