2017 Watchlist Catchers

Pedro Severino Pedro Severino
Born: 7/20/93
Ht. 6’0″
Wt. 215
Bats: R
Throws: R
Career Stats
Until the Derek Norris trade, Severino appeared to be in line for a decent shot to make the big club in 2017. Now, he’ll be battling Jose Lobaton for the backup job, and his dexterity and remaining options will be strikes against him. Defense is his calling card, which benefits him personally in the long term because MLB is now valuing it more highly these days. His bat still lags the glove, which is another reason he may return to AAA in ’17: to play and hit every day.
Raudy Read Raudy Read
Born: 10/29/93
Ht. 6’0″
Wt. 170
Bats: R
Throws: R
Career Stats
While Read gets plaudits for his arm strength, his other defensive skills remain subpar – especially blocking pitches. Put more simply, the talent is there but the effort is inconsistent. He still strikes me as a hitter first, fielder second. The power came back on in ’16, particularly late in the season (5HR, .612 SLG% in August) which will probably earn him a bump up to Harrisburg in 2017, despite overall
numbers that were mediocre.
Jakson Reetz Jakson Reetz
Born: 1/03/96
Ht. 6’1″
Wt. 195
Bats: R
Throws: R
Career Stats
After very promising debut GCL season in 2014, Reetz struggled with injuries in the NYPL in 2015 but still moved up Low-A in 2016, where he caught a career-high 88 games. Like Read, he’s a hit-first catcher with a decent (“solid-average”) arm. Unlike Read, the power switch has yet to be flipped (5HR in 167G). One very promising factor: he continues to show above-average plate discipline, which will benefit him if/when the power does come.

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