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Physical Description: Solid,
athletic frame. Moves well. On the smaller side for a catcher.
Minimal remaining projection.
Hit:
Starts slightly open and utilizes a toe-tap timing device. Used
to have a pronounced leg kick, but has toned it down in 2022 and
eventually eliminated it. Fringe-average bat speed. Swing is a
lot shorter and more direct to ball with his new timing device.
Contact rates have improved dramatically in 2022. Strikeout rate
has also decreased in 2022, mostly due to improvements in his
in-zone swing-and-miss rate. Still prone to expand the zone and
chase secondary pitches off the plate. Could stand to improve
pitch recognition and swing decisions. Has shown the ability to
use all fields and take what pitchers give him. Potential
below-average hit tool.
Power: Likes to
lift the ball and has shown all-fields power. How much his power
actualizes in-game will depend on his ability to make
adjustments and contact against more advanced pitching. Average
raw power with fringe-average game power potential.
Run: Average speed. Moves very well for a
catcher and could steal a handful of bases.
Field: Moves well behind the plate, and has improved
his receiving and framing skills to the point where he is
considered solid with both. Has also played second base and
third base in pro ball, and even played some outfield in
college, but has caught exclusively since trade from the
Dodgers. Has been able to develop a good rapport with pitchers
and become someone they like throwing to and have confidence in.
Potential solid-average defender.
Arm:
Average arm strength.
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Career Notes: Played shortstop
in college before moving to catcher. Played in the Cape Cod
League in 2015 (Yarmouth-Dennis) and 2016 (Bourne). Stepfather,
Matt Maysey, had a brief MLB career, pitching for Montreal and
Milwaukee. Excelled in 40 games at Double-A in late 2019,
boosting his prospect status. Played at the Alternate Training
Site in 2020. Participated in the 2020 Fall Instructional
League. Opened 2021 at the Alternate Training Site. Missed a
month early in the 2021 season with a pulled hamstring suffered
running the bases. Was recalled to Boston a number of times in
2021, both formally and as a member of the MLB taxi squad.
Between injury and call-ups, did not play more than 11 games for
one club, uninterrupted by either, until the final
month-and-a-half of the season, during which time he hit
.337/.351/.590. Was set to participate in the 2021 Arizona Fall
League, but instead was carried on Boston’s taxi squad during
the playoffs. Struggled at the start of the 2022 season but hit
much better from mid-May onward.
Summation:
Potential MLB backup or up-and-down catcher. Ceiling of a
platoon catcher who will have a season or two of starter-level
production. Has already earned the trust of the organization as
the third catcher on the 40-man roster, but has yet to get much
run in the majors. Will have to make more contact. Power tool is
better than hit right now, and he needs refinement at the plate.
Has improved defense to the point that he should be able to
handle that side of things in some role.
Links
SoxProspects Podcast on Mookie Betts Trade (2-10-2020)
State of the System 2020: Catchers (4.15.2020)
Video from Pawtucket (9.16.2020)
Scouting Scratch: Breaking Down the Arizona Fall League
Contingent (10.27.2021) |
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