MLB Catching Prospects: Names to Know
Top catching prospects, especially if they can hit for power, are a currency all their own in the MLB. If they happen to be great at framing pitches, that is even better. Here are a few catchers in the minors to keep an eye on.
In baseball in the last number of years, there has been an emphasis on pitch presentation, better known as framing – the way a catcher can alter his body and positioning to allow his pitcher to get calls from the umpire on pitches outside of the zone.
Baseball Prospectus has a great site in general for those who love advanced statistics, and I highly recommend it. One of the areas they’ve been in the lead on is quantifying catching statistics, and they have a whole area dedicated to statistics measuring catcher defense. One of these statistics is Framing Runs Saved, which is a projection of the amount of runs that framing has saved that catcher’s team.
I’ll link to the current leader board (subscription required), but I wanted to highlight a grouping of that leader board. I’ll have a group of minor leaguers here, and a group of major leaguers in another post later. Enjoy!
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Cameron Gallagher, Kansas City Royals
Who Is He?
Gallagher was a 2nd round draft pick in 2011 out of high school in Pennsylvania. From the get-go, his defensive skills were lauded, but his bat has trailed behind.
While the bat hasn’t really taken a leap forward, Gallagher has been getting promotions, and his low strikeout profile has remained consistent as he’s moved up the system, now playing in AA. At 6’3 and 230 pounds, he presents a big, strong frame for his pitchers to throw to, and obviously that leads in with his framing.
Right now in the BP list, he trails only Houston’s Jason Castro in all of the majors and minors in Framing Runs, so his framing is exceptional. I would wager that Gallagher won’t ever be the two-way player that was dreamed on when he was drafted, but I bet he’ll work his way to the majors and stick around a while as a solid backup and even a “caddy” for an ace pitcher possibly.
Videos
Next: King of the Non-Strikeout
Willians Astudillo, Atlanta Braves
Who Is He?
Astudillo was signed out of Venezuela in 2008 by the Philadelphia Phillies, and he showed immediately that he had an ability to make good contact and nearly never strike out. However, his squat build (he currently checks in at 5’9 and 225 pounds) wasn’t exactly producing a great defender. Then he had Tommy John surgery and lost a year and a half to the recovery.
Since his return, he’s not the guy to gun down runners, but he’s worked hard to stay behind the plate, including on his framing. He was picked up by the Atlanta Braves as a minor league free agent this winter, and he’s been one of the best framers in the minor leagues, and he rarely strikes out, totaling 54 strikeouts on 1830 plate appearances, which is less than 3%!
He may not be a major league starter, but if he can continue framing like this and making good contact without striking out, he could work his way to the majors in a backup role.
Videos
Next: Former Third Sacker Now Behind The Dish
Carson Kelly, St. Louis Cardinals
Who Is He?
Kelly is probably the biggest prospect still of this entire list. He was a second round selction in 2012 out of high school in Oregon. He’s worked his way to AA this season and is hitting .305/.348/.405 on top of playing the good defense that gets him on this list.
Kelly is an athletic guy, having come up as an infielder in the draft and moving behind the plate after being drafted, so he not only provides solid framing, but offers good lateral movement behind the plate and good blocking skills.
Kelly has a good build for a catcher at 6’2 and 220 pounds, and he brings solid contact skills to the plate along with a good eye. The Cardinals obviously are well-set with an all-time catcher in Yadier Molina, but as he begins to age off the position, the 21 year-old Kelly can start to work his way into the position in the next two seasons.
Videos
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Mitch Garver, Minnesota Twins
Who Is He?
Garver was a 9th round selection out of the University of New Mexico for the Minnesota Twins in 2013. He put himself on the prospect map by having an excellent 2014 season, going .298/.399/.481 with 16 home runs for class A Cedar Rapids in the Midwest League.
Last season was a bit of a step back with the bat at high-A, but he was sent to the Arizona Fall League, and after he exploded for a .317/.404/.512 line in the AFL, he’s kept the positive hitting going for AA Chattanooga, going .287/.355/.410 so far.
Obviously to make it on this list, Garver is making his mark with the glove so far, and it’s not just been framing, as he’s thrown out 75% of runners attempting to steal this year as well!
The Twins have a very obvious need at catcher after this season, so if Garver can keep pushing, he may assert himself into those longer-term plans.
Videos
Next: Former Top Pick Re-Establishing Value
Mike Zunino, Seattle Mariners
Who Is He?
Zunino probably has the biggest pedigree on this list, but he’s already failed at the major league level and gone back this year to remake himself. After being the 3rd overall selection in the 2012 draft, Zunino found himself in AAA in 2013 and the starter for the big league club at 2014. The problem is that the highly regarded bat really never materialized.
Now he’s gone back to the minor leagues to not only address his offensive approach, but also to address his defensive approach. He’s definitely done that as he’s always rated well as a framer, but he’s struggled with other defensive metrics previously, but he’s grading well this season so far.
He’s already receiving notice for the big power he’s showing at AAA Tacoma, but the notable difference in his approach is that his 33-34% strikeout rate in the majors and even AAA previously versus the 17% strikeout rate he’s showing now. He could work his way back to the majors this year or be a big trading chip for the Mariners as they make a playoff push this year.