Pretty much the easiest position to order right now, if not as deep as it once was, with JPA now entrenched in the majors and Chris Perez and Yan Gomes dealt.You'd think it wouldn't have taken me almost a month to get it posted, wouldn't ya?
1. Travis d'Arnaud (2/10/89) - Likely the top catcher prospect in major league baseball, d'Arnaud is almost a finished product - to the extent that a catcher who's not played in the majors CAN be complete. The Jays have chosen, wisely given the circumstance, to let him go down to Buffalo and build his case. If they are planning on going for it, then it's to be expected they won't just hand such a crucial position to a rookie.
2. AJ Jimenez (5/1/90) - If d'Arnaud rates an "incomplete" grade due to his injury, Jimenez rates something less than that. While d'Arnaud, in AAA, got a bit past the halfway point of his season before going down, New Hampshire's Jimenez barely got to 1/4 of the number of games he'd played the previous year in Dunedin. Jmenez is reportedly a very good fielder but so far demonstrates a just okay bat. Fortunately for him, the offensive expectations for catchers are considerably lower. If he stays in the system, he has a chance to be a classic defense-first reserve catcher behind d'Arnaud for a while.
3. Santiago Nessy (12/8/92) - still 3-5 years away, Nessy is gaining more and more positive reviews. Arguably, he should be second on the list and he's only not because distance (from the majors) provides more opportunity for things to go wrong. He surely will return to Vancouver, where he played the last couple of weeks of the 2012 season. and the Blue Jays have the luxury of going slow with him. He has shown quality defensive tools and plus power potential, but time and repetition will certainly provide him with the opportunity to polish his skills.
4. Sean Ochinko (10/21/87) -In a sense, this is Yan Gomes all over again. Competent catcher, interesting but limited bat, potential positional versatility. He doesn't have starter upside at any position, but might have a future as a capable backup, certainly if he can bring a decent glove to the corner infield positions. But he's absolutely going to need a couple more years in the minors and the BB:K ratio could stand serious improvement.
There's really no one else on the radar right now in the Blue Jays system with a prayer of being a major league catcher.
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1 comment:
As you say, its a pretty straightforward ranking, but the depth is still good. John Silvano might be worth a mention, he was a minor bonus baby in the draft
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