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Physical Description:
Athletic, medium frame. Some remaining projection. Unique
athleticism for a catcher.
Hit: Starts
open with his hands by his shoulders. Brief leg kick timing
device. Lot of pre-pitch hand movement, including a slight drop
during his load. Violent swing. Above-average bat speed. Swing
is a little unique and can get long at times. Solid approach,
knows the strike zone and will take a walk when he doesn't get
pitches to hit.
Power: Average raw
power, but in-game power projections are below that.
Run: Fringe-average speed.
Field:
Potential above-average to plus defender. Graded out very highly
as a framer in college. Soft hands and good at manipulating his
glove position. Moves well behind the plate laterally and is
very comfortable getting down and blocking balls in the dirt.
Handles pitchers well. Type of athlete that could play other
positions including outfield and maybe even second base.
Arm: Plus arm strength. Quick release and
produces pop times around 1.9 seconds.
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Career Notes: 2023 ACC Player
of the Year and consensus First Team All-American. Won 2023
Buster Posey Award as the nation's top catcher. Set UVA
single-season records as a junior with 105 hits and 25 doubles.
2021 Freshman All-American. Started at catcher his last two
years at Virginia, but split time evenly between catcher,
outfield, and designated hitter as a freshman. Removed himself
from the 2020 Draft in order to enroll at Virginia. Caught all
but 23 innings of Virginia's 2023 season. Bounced back in
2023 after a down season as a sophomore. Played briefly in the Cape Cod
League for Harwich in 2022. Played for Team USA in 2021. Was a
shortstop, catcher, outfielder, and pitcher in his prep career.
Heavily scouted by the Red Sox, especially Northeast scout Ray
Fagnant, out of high school, and played for the Red Sox team at
the East Coast Pro showcase, playing every position but pitcher. Father, Garett, also a
catcher, spent five seasons with the Dodgers as a player and
coach. Brother, Aidan, is a two-way player at UVA and
reclassified to graduate from high school a year early to play
one season with his brother, although he tore his UCL in his
final high school season and did not play in 2023.
Summation: Potential defense-first catcher
whose upside will be determined by how much he hits. Likely will
develop into a hit-over-power type, and if he hits he has
everyday potential. High baseball IQ and leader who should be
able to handle the rigors of catching at the major league level.
Described as having a very carefree personality. Great value
pick at number 14 overall in 2023 that comes with a high floor
due to his defensive profile.
Links
Red Sox select Kyle Teel with 14th overall pick (7.9.23) |
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