Top 10 Catcher Prospects

May 31, 200620 yr

The Willis trade speculation made me look to see what teams have top catching prospects to offer the Marlins in a trade. Here's Fox Sports and Baseball America's rankings of the top young catchers. Mariners have a catcher to spare with Clement and Johjima...

Fox Sports:Ranking the top 10 catcher prospects

Beginning this week, we're going to take a tour of the diamond and rank the top 10 prospects at each position. Up first are the catchers.

In this list we're excluding those catching prospects who are certain to exhaust their rookie status (e.g., Kenji Johjima) or almost certain to exhaust their rookie status (e.g., Josh Willingham, Jeff Mathis).

Onward ...

1. Jeff Clement, Mariners, Age: 22

Acquired: 1st round, 2005, USC

Clement has awesome left-handed power to his credit, and his defense is coming along fairly well. He doesn't profile as a high-average hitter, and the plate discipline leaves much to be desired. But the power will carry him. Behind the plate, his throwing arm is sub-optimal, but he's otherwise a capable receiver. He'll good for 25-30 homers annually at the highest level. A strong showing in major league camp this spring may have accelerated his timetable.

2. Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Braves, Age: 20

Acquired: 1st round, 2003, Royal Palm Beach HS (West Palm Beach, FL)

Although "Salty" played half his games last season at High-A Myrtle Beach, which is perhaps the toughest hitter's park in professional baseball, he still managed to put up a batting line of .314 AVG/.394 OBP/.519 SLG. Suffice it to say, that's nifty production for a catcher. Saltalamacchia is a switch-hitter, but there's a chance he'll bat exclusively from the left side before he reaches the majors. He knows the strike zone and has an excellent power stroke, but the presence of Brian McCann in Atlanta means Salty's future behind the plate is left to question. He's with Double-A Mississippi this season.

3. Neil Walker, Pirates, Age: 20

Acquired: 1st round, 2004, Pine Richland HS (Gibsonia, PA)

The 11th-overall pick of the 2004 draft, Walker is fluid and mobile behind the plate, and his offensive skills are also promising. Walker spent most of last season in the South Atlantic League, where he hit.301 AVG/.329 OBP/.452 SLG. Walker boasts good bat speed and a swing and body type that lends itself to power production down the road. He's presently sidelined after undergoing off-season wrist surgery, but he's expected to be back in action by the end of the month.

4. Mike Napoli, Angels, Age: 24

Acquired: 17th round, 2000, Charles Flanagan HS (Cooper City, FL)

For his minor league career, Napoli boasts an OBP of .377 and an SLG of .474. Oh, and he's also whacked 165 extra-base hits in 1,494 career at bats. To boot, Napoli is also a highly capable defensive backstop, so he certainly profiles as a quality regular in the bigs. He's one of the most underrated position prospects in the game today.

5. Russell Martin, Dodgers, Age: 23

Acquired: 17th round, 2002, Chipola College

In 2005, Martin posted .430 OBP, which was good for second in the Southern League. He's also a skilled defensive catcher with polished receiving skills and a strong throwing arm. Martin's power stroke, however, leaves something to be desired. He's a career .419 slugger, and his raw-power indicators are even more troubling. He has the swing mechanics for a power breakout, but so far that hasn't happened. He's off to a hot start this season at Triple-A Las Vegas.

6. George Kottaras, Padres, Age: 22

Acquired: 20th round, 2002, Connors State College

In the second half of 2005, Kottaras posted a .397 OBP even though he toiled in the pitcher-friendly Southern League. The power hasn't yet come, but he's a skilled on-base guy. Kottaras boasts a smooth line-drive swing from the left side, and he's quick behind the plate. His release on throws is a bit slow, but that's a correctable flaw. Kottaras needs to show more power this season, and he's doing just that in the early going at AA-Mobile.

7. Chris Iannetta, Rockies, Age: 23

Acquired: 4th round, 2004, U. of North Carolina

Good gap-to-gap swing, reasonable defensive skills, strong walk rates, ability to hit for average?Iannetta's a good one. His throwing arm is major league quality, but otherwise he could stand to improve his work behind the plate. This season, he's back at Double-A Tulsa, and you can expect solid numbers from him. If he hits this season, Iannetta will be a top-30 prospect in 2007.

8. Miguel Montero, Diamondbacks, Age: 22

Acquired: Non-drafted free agent, 2001, Venezuela

Montero has a strong pull stroke, and he made strides with his plate discipline last season. He struggled after a late-season promotion to Double-A Tennessee, but struggling in one's first exposure to the high minors isn't entirely damnable. Montero's defense has improved in recent seasons, but he needs to show he can handle advanced pitching.

9. Kurt Suzuki, A's, Age: 22

Acquired: 2nd round, 2004, Cal State Fullerton

Suzuki's dilemma is one common to many young catchers: Playable bat, questionable defense. Last season at High-Stockton, Suzuki showed good plate discipline (63 walks vs. 61 strikeouts), but his power numbers were not impressive for a college-trained hitter in the Cal League. This season, he's raking at AA-Midland, and he needs to keep that up if he's join the upper tier of catching prospects.

10. Jake Fox, Cubs, Age: 23

Acquired: 3rd round, 2003, U. of Michigan

Fox's right-handed power stroke will play well in Wrigley one day, but it's not certain what position he'll be manning. He's not a good defensive catcher, and if he's moved elsewhere on the diamond (say, first base or one of the outfield corners), his offense suddenly isn't all that special. Whether Fox can stick at catcher will determine his ceiling. He's off to a slow start this season at High-A Daytona.

Dayn Perry is a frequent contributor to FOXSports.com and author of the forthcoming book, "Winners: How Good Baseball Teams Become Great Ones" (Available soon at Amazon.com).

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/5498846

Baseball America18. JARROD SALTALAMACCHIA, c, Braves

"He's got a chance to be Jason Varitek to me. The size, the strength, the power are all there."

--anonymous scout

ETA: 2007

33. JEFF CLEMENT, c, Mariners

"You always hear about how he's an offensive catcher. But I was really excited to see him catch."

--Mariners director of minor league operations Greg Hunter

ETA: 2007

42. RUSSELL MARTIN, c, Dodgers

"He's obviously one of the better hitters in the league, yet at the most premium position. He basically shut our running game down and said, 'If you're going to run, you're going to make outs.' "

--West Tenn manager Bobby Dickerson

ETA: 2006

43. NEIL WALKER, c, Pirates

"When you consider what he has done at his age against competition that has been older, it's really remarkable. We're extremely pleased with the progress he has made in two years."

--Pirates farm director Brian Graham

ETA: 2007

60. JEFF MATHIS, c, Angels

"I've loved him forever. I think he's probably better defensively than offensively because of his intangibles. I love his makeup."

--anonymous scout

ETA: 2006

66. KENJI JOHJIMA, c, Mariners

"He has a very quick release and a plus arm. He's a very confident kid and he likes to run the game."

--Chiba Lotte Marines manager Bobby Valentine

ETA: 2006

http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/prosp...ures/26660.html

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