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Physical Description:
Athletic, medium frame. Some remaining projection. Unique
athleticism for a catcher. Could stand to add some strength in
his upper body.
Hit: Starts open with
his hands by his shoulders. Brief leg kick timing device.
Extensive pre-pitch hand movement, including a slight drop
during his load. Coils his body and explodes when he swings with
above-average bat speed. Does not get cheated at the plate.
Swing and stride can get long at times. Solid approach; knows
the strike zone and will take a walk when he does not get
pitches to hit. Will need to show he can consistently handle
velocity, especially up in the zone, against more advanced
pitching. Potential above-average hit tool.
Power: Average raw power, especially to the pull-side.
Has shown the ability to drive the ball with backspin. In-game
power plays below raw power. Potential fringe-average game
power.
Run: Average speed. Will likely
play at closer to fringe for the majority of his career, but has
unnatural speed for a catcher either way.
Field:
Potential above-average defender. Needs to find more consistency
behind the plate. Will have stretches where he is a strong
framer with soft hands and does well manipulating his glove
position, but will have other games where he struggles in those
areas. Moves well behind the plate laterally and is very
comfortable getting down and blocking balls in the dirt. Handles
pitchers well. Athleticism shows in his feet and his quick
reactions to throw out runners. Type of athlete that could play
other positions including outfield and maybe even second base.
Arm: Above-average arm strength. Quick
release and consistently produces pop times around 1.9 seconds
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Career Notes: 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. Was a
shortstop, catcher, outfielder, and pitcher in his prep career.
Removed himself from the 2020 Draft to enroll at Virginia. 2021
Freshman All-American. Played for Team USA in 2021. 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.
Started at catcher his last two years at Virginia after
splitting time evenly between catcher, outfield, and designated
hitter as a freshman. Caught all but 23 innings of Virginia's
2023 season. Played briefly in the Cape Cod League for Harwich
in 2022. 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. Enjoys serving as locker room DJ and goes by the DJ
name “DJ Bass Monkey.” Was promoted very aggressively in his pro
debut, reaching Double-A after just 17 pro games and skipping
Low-A entirely. Participated in the 2023 Fall Performance
Program. Participated in the Red Sox Rookie Development Program
in January 2024. A consensus top 100 prospect entering 2024,
became one of the “Big 3” with Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer.
Traded along with Braden Montgomery, Chase Meidroth, and
Wikelman Gonzalez for Garrett Crochet in December 2024 during
the Winter Meetings.
Summation: Potential average regular as a
two-way threat behind the plate. Ceiling of an impact everyday
catcher if his bat continues to progress. Likely will develop
into a hit-over-power type capable of hitting for a solid
average with 15-20 home runs per year. High baseball IQ. A
leader who should be able to handle the rigors of catching at
the major league level. Catching tools are there, just needs to
improve consistency behind the plate. Described as having a very
carefree personality; is known for being the locker room DJ.
Real baseball rat who constantly wants to work at his craft.
Great value pick at 14th 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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