Baseball Prospect Rankings for 2012
Now updated for 2012's Top Prospects
Scouting Book's Top Prospects list is a Combined List, a calculated summary of the overall valuations of the entire prospect universe.
Remember: this page is the result of an automatic process that re-sorts and re-ranks players often.
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The Best 28 Catching Prospects for 2012
Showing 1 to 28 of 28. Overall SB ranking for 2012 shown in parentheses.
When news broke that the Mariners had traded the 'untouchable' young pitcher Michael Pineda to New York, you didn't need to read the rest of the story to know which Yankee prospect had to be coming back to Seattle. There was only one worth that price.
More Scouting Book Info on Jesus Montero
SB 5BA SC 5BP SN ES ML 12
Devin Mesoraco is a catching prospect who's a little late to bloom (then again, aren't they all?) in the Reds system. The 15th overall pick of the 2007 draft, Mesoraco fell off the charts for awhile after posting .260 and .228 averages in his first two full seasons of minor league ball. But a switch flipped somewhere in 2010, as Mesoraco posted a composite line of .302/.377/.587 with 26 home runs in 2010, followed by a 2011 line of 289/.371/.484 at AAA Louisville last year, complete with 15 more home runs. If the Reds seemed too eager to trade away super-prospect catcher Yasmani Grandal, there's probably no better reason than Mesoraco. He still strikes out a bit too much and can be beat by quality stuff inside, but Mesoraco suddenly looks to have very few shortcomings. He should get a shot with the Reds in late 2012.
More Scouting Book Info on Devin Mesoraco
SB 17BA SC 12BP SN ES ML 14
You have to give the Blue Jays some credit. Even with their backs to the wall and the necessity of trading away the best pitcher in franchise history, they managed to come out ahead by completely restocking their depleted farm system with high-talent players like D'Arnaud. Not to be confused with infielder Chase, Travis is an offensively gifted catcher who recently hit .311/.371/.542 at double-A New Hampshire while cracking 21 homers. He's got above-average speed for a catcher and a developing eye for the strike zone that should allow him to hit high in a future Blue Jays batting order.
More Scouting Book Info on Travis D'Arnaud
SB 34BA SC 43BP SN ES ML 25
Trade one young star, get two in return. Thats what the Padres did when they picked up not just Yonder Alonso, but also Yasmani Grandal by trading away young ace Mat Latos in 2011. A switch-hitting Cuban catcher with a powerful right arm, Grandal was the top actual-catcher of the 2010 draft class. While his receiving and game-calling need a lot of work, his bat is already looking like a premium contact weapon, and with his body type, overall athleticism and team-leader personality, he looks likely to remain behind the plate.
More Scouting Book Info on Yasmani Grandal
SB 52BA SC 91BP SN ES ML 68
Dominican catcher Wilin Rosario was signed by the Rockies as an IFA with little fanfare in 2008. He went on to destroy the Pioneer League (.316/.371.532) at the age of 19, the best performance by a PL catcher since Russell Martin's debut. He found his AA level last year, slashing .249/.284/.457 at Tulsa, and even took four dozen at-bats away from veterans in Colorado by season end. He looks like he will have the acumen and temperment to handle a pitching staff, and his catch-and-throw skills are developing rapidly. If he can remain a catcher, he could be a top prospect very soon, and it's hard not to drool a little thinking about his bat reaching Coors Field full-time in 2013 or so.
More Scouting Book Info on Wilin Rosario
SB 57BA SC BP SN ES ML 63
The most-likely catcher of the future in Philadelphia, Mexican prospect Sebastian Valle is a young offensive dynamo with plus bat control and a powerful swing that should play at any level. Already holding his own against much older competitors, Valle is due to hit AA sometime in 2012. Give him another year or two to master the intricacies of handling a top-flight pitching staff, and he should be a fixture in Philly soon enough.
More Scouting Book Info on Sebastian Valle
SB 75BA SC BP SN ES ML
Signed as a sixteen year old out of Panama back in 2008, catcher Christian Bethencourt is a toolsy ballplayer dripping with all-around talent. Competing with far-older players in 2009, the 17-year old showed flashes of power and above-average speed to complement his advanced bat control skills. He looked better positioned at low-A Rome in 2010 and 2011 while working primarily on his defense.
More Scouting Book Info on Christian Bethancourt
SB 76BA SC 37BP SN ES ML 91
He's only 22 years old, but ever since he hit a dozen homers in 94 games at high-A Potomac in 2010, catcher Derek Norris has had everyone's attention. Norris is a patient slugger with a perfect catcher's build who's still working on his blocking and game-calling. He already sports a powerful arm, as shown when he threw out nearly half of all would-be basestealers last season. He's one to watch for in 2013 or so.
More Scouting Book Info on Derek Norris
SB 85BA SC BP SN ES ML
A converted shortstop with a cannon arm and a terrific pop time, catcher Jake (JT) Realmuto was another part of Greensboro's A-level championship title in 2010. Untapped power and good speed (for a catcher) combine with a quickly-developing eye that should propel him to the majors one day. Realmuto is Florida's top catching prospect today, though he's still a few years away from Miami baseball.
More Scouting Book Info on JT Realmuto
SB 88BA SC BP SN ES ML
Sometimes it seems that the Yankee farm is all about catchers. Gary Sanchez is a very young but promising backstop from Austin, Texas who's not as far along as Montero or Romine, but has a tantalizing upside that should not be ignored. He's a big boy who could further grow into a Joe Mauer shape, and his bat comes from the same forest as the Minnesota superstar, if not quite the same tree. Unless he becomes part of a package used to upgrade Yankee pitching, he should be one of their top prospects for several more years to come.
More Scouting Book Info on Gary Sanchez
SB 95BA SC 50BP SN ES ML 53
An offensive catcher who could finally give the Sox that young bat they've wanted behind the plate for years, Ryan Lavarnway is starting to look close to ready for Fenway, too. The Yale grad certainly has the smarts for game-calling, and after a great minor league season in 2011 (.284/.360/.510 at AA Portland, and an even better .295/.390/.612 at higher-level Pawtucket) he received a callup to Boston, where he popped two home runs in September, just so everyone would remember his name. He could be a great midseason fill-in for the Sox in 2012.
More Scouting Book Info on Ryan Lavarnway
SB 112BA SC BP SN ES ML 93
A native of Miami, Jorge 'Tony' Sanchez is an offensive-minded catcher in the style of Matt Wieters (though with less power) or Buster Posey (but with less defensive prowess). He does show enough skill to stick at catcher, though, and his bat is legitimate. He's pretty much major league ready today, especially for a team like Pittsburgh that can provide as much low-pressure on the job training as required.
More Scouting Book Info on Tony Sanchez
SB 137BA SC BP SN ES ML
Already considered the best defensive catcher in the Cubs' system, Castillo has recently jumped back into the prospect spotlight thanks to his developing bat. While he might be idling awhile as Geovany Soto seems locked into the full-time job in Wrigley, Castillo has enough raw talent to push his way onto the roster anyway, even if it's in a part-time role.
More Scouting Book Info on Wellington Castillo
SB 147BA SC BP SN ES ML
A switch-hitting catcher of the type the Red Sox tried to develop for the last decade, Cleveland-native Blake Swihart has the tools necessary to succeed in the big leagues, assuming his game-calling head can develop as expected. He's already got a solid contact bat from either side (.448/.492/.845 for Team USA last year) and shows a strong accurate throwing arm. If he has to move away from the plate, he could be a competent third baseman, since he doesn't really have the legs for the outfield, but if that happens he drops a great deal in value, since there's no shortage of third basemen with his offensive pop.
More Scouting Book Info on Blake Swihart
SB 178BA SC 67BP SN ES ML
The number one catching prospect in the system until Yasmani Grandal came to town, Austin Hedges is still a top prospect in the San Diego system. He's also probably further from the majors than Grandal, as he's barely out of high school compared to the college-bred Cuban. So pencil him into the Padre lineup all you like, but please date that doodle 2017 to be safe.
More Scouting Book Info on Austin Hedges
SB 223BA SC BP SN ES ML
A second baseman converted to catching in mid-2008, Rockies proto-bat Jordan Pacheco is a plus plus contact hitter still searching for a full-time occupation. While he has the bat speed and contact rate to hit .300, he lacks the feet for the middle infield, the glove for a corner or the arm for third base. He may end up a platoon C-1B-OF in the major leagues, but another year or two of experience behind the plate could also turn him into a serviceable regular. His bat is certainly ready: after smashing .278/.343/.377 at AAA Colorado Springs in 2011, he took 78 more at-bats for the MLB Rockies that were even better: .286/.318/.369, including a broken-bat home run that gave the young man his first taste of ESPN (and YouTube) fame.
More Scouting Book Info on Jordan Pacheco
SB 226BA SC BP SN ES ML
The younger brother of infielder Andrew, Austin Romine was a two way player in the Buster Posey fashion, acting as his high school closer as well as everyday catcher. As you might expect, he has one of the best cannons to second of any catcher in the minors today. At the plate he has doubles power and an easy swing, which looks projectable to 20-30 homer power someday. His cup of coffee in 2011 (2 for 19 in 9 games) was a reward for a good AA season as much as it was relief for an overworked Yankee catching corps. He's still a ways away from Yankee Stadium, but he's a hard worker with enough raw talent to get there sooner or later, and he's the most promising defender of the Yankee catching prospects.
More Scouting Book Info on Austin Romine
SB 274BA SC BP SN ES ML
After the knee-crunching scare Buster Posey took in 2011, it's no wonder the Giants went looking for more catchers in the draft. Andrew Susac is a prototype power hitting catcher, 6-1 and 205lbs of fast-twitch muscle from the right side of the plate. He's a couple of years from earning any sort of meaningful role on the Giants, but he combines a good work ethic with all the raw tools any catcher needs to succeed, so he should be around awhile. If he sticks at catcher, the Giants might even feel inspired to move Buster Posey to somewhere much, much safer for the rest of his career, like third or first base.
More Scouting Book Info on Andrew Susac
SB 278BA SC BP SN ES ML
A squat, good-hitting catcher whose physique comes more from the Sandoval side of the Giants family tree than it does from the Posey branch, Venezuelan Hector Sanchez did such a nifty job in the minors in 2011 that the Giants zoomed him right to AT&T Park, where he nonchalantly knocked out 8 hits in his first 31 big-league at-bats (that's .324, nerds). He even popped two doubles and walked three times against only six strikeouts. If the Giants need a backup and some insurance against future Buster Posey collisions, they may have a solution in-hand already.
More Scouting Book Info on Hector Sanchez
SB 290BA SC BP SN ES ML
Gattis, an offensive-minded catcher, hit .322 in A ball last year, enough to collect the pitching-friendly South Atlantic League's batting title. A big, strong hitter, he's still a long way from Turner Field, but it's nice to see that the Braves do have prospects like Gattis and Christian Bethancourt in the pipe to replace Brian McCann someday.
More Scouting Book Info on Evan Gattis
SB 343BA SC BP SN ES ML
Max is a professional hitter with a career .295/.389/.478 line in the minors. He's athletic enough to play first, third or even the outfield, but his size and skill set is still best-suited to receiving, where he has a good arm and has proven to be a reliable game-caller. He's spent half his career on the trading block, but he's looking like a very good bet to play most of 2012 on Texas's major league roster, if only as a backup.
More Scouting Book Info on Max Ramirez
SB 374BA SC BP SN ES ML
A compact, powerful bat with an explosive short swing, youngster Angel Salome probably isn't a long-term catching option anymore, but he's still an interesting prospect. He's a bit rough around the edges, but there's not much keeping Salome from putting on a Mariner-blue chest protector right now, if only as a backup.
More Scouting Book Info on Angel Salome
SB 376BA SC BP SN ES ML
He's slipped in the prospect standings over the last season or two, but the slugging left-handed catcher who hit .302 as a 19-year old A-baller and .298 as a 20-year old in AA is still seen as a possible catcher of the near future in St Louis, even if his can't-miss gleam has worn off some. If he can add just a little bit to his overall game and continue to contribute across the board in the minors, he should get a look again in 2012, if only as Yadier's backup and occasional relief corp.
More Scouting Book Info on Bryan Anderson
SB 422BA SC BP SN ES ML
Buster Posey got a lot of attention in the 2008 draft, but Skippy's got the same sort of offensive potential. A left-handed and more power-hitting type of catcher, he lags behind Posey in the defensive and especially game-calling parts of the game, which means he might end up a bigger producer, but not right away. Of course, if his bat stays as hot as it's been in recent years, it'll be impossible to keep him in the minors for long.
More Scouting Book Info on Kyle Skipworth
SB 441BA SC BP SN ES ML
Chicago's first supplemental round pick in 2007, Josh Donaldson is a converted third baseman, which means he has a plus arm from behind the plate. Overshadowed by Matt Wieters in that draft class, he was considered to be only a notch or two behind the Georgia grad when it came to actual tools, though he hasn't yet shown that polish in pro ball. Josh is an offensive force with both pull and opposite-field power: he's a legitimate middle-of-the-order threat who only needs to get a little more selective at the plate in order to make the leap to the upper echelon of prospects. His .261/.344/.439 line in 2011 did show an improving contact rate, which is a nice data point. He's still learning the ins and outs of game calling, though, so unlike the all-around Wieters, Donaldson is a couple of years away from having any impact.
More Scouting Book Info on Josh Donaldson
SB 444BA SC BP SN ES ML
A tough, throwback-style catcher, Oakland prospect Max Stassi is one of the best defensive backstops in the minor leagues, with plus catch-and-throw skill and a work ethic that's helped him rise to the top of the prospect class. At the plate he's looking increasingly like an all-or-nothing slugger, striking out more than once per game but reaching the bleachers with increasing frequency. With a solid knack for game calling and the leadership style to hold a team together, he's got all the makings of a major league captain... and probably a manager someday after that, even if he can't ever really hit a good curve ball.
More Scouting Book Info on Max Stassi
SB 445BA SC BP SN ES ML
A strong offensive catcher in his last year of commitment to Japanese baseball, Tasuku Hashimoto slashed .311/.404/.536 for Bobby Valentines Chiba Lotte Marines in 2010. He's thought to be considering a move to MLB next season.
More Scouting Book Info on Tasuku Hashimoto
SB 503BA SC BP SN ES ML
A converted pitcher, Robert Stock got a chance behind the plate for the Cardinals in 2010 and 2011, but he hasn't really shown the development necessary for progress, which means his baseball career is hanging by a thread in Redbird Nation.
More Scouting Book Info on Robert Stock
SB 516BA SC BP SN ES ML
Top Prospects 2012
Combined Ranking
