9. Will Banfield, C
Birthday: 11/18/1999 (18)
Acquired: Draft, 2nd, 2018
Level(s): GCL Marlins, low-A Greensboro
Statistics: .238/.308/.385, 39 G, 146 PA, 8 2B, 3 HR, 7.5% BB, 29.5% K
Widely considered the top defensive backstop in the country from the prep ranks, Will Banfield slipped to the Miami Marlins in the second round after being considered a top-10 talent due to an underwhelming spring performance at the plate.
Defensively, Banfield simply shines. He is a rare catcher that needs more development time with the bat than with the glove coming out of high school. He has excellent footwork behind the plate and can gun down runners with ease.
The main thing that Banfield still has to work on defensively is his presentation skills, something emphasized much more in the pro game. He already made huge strides in his pro debut in the one other area that was “lacking”, which was his game-calling.
Offensively, Banfield has definite power in his bat, but after showing big in home run derbies over the summer, Banfield struggled to show development in his contact ability, and he still has work to do in his pitch recognition. He certainly knows the plate, but he struggles to hold off his swing out of the zone.
After a couple weeks in low-A in 2018, Banfield will most likely open back there in 2019.