2013 Watchlist: Catchers

Sandy Leon Sandy Leon
DOB: 3/13/89
Ht. 5′ 11″
Wt. 175
Bats: S
Throws: R
Career Stats
It was a season of mixed blessings for
Leon: he got put on the 40-man thanks to
an injury to Wilson Ramos. However, his
own injury, suffered in his MLB debut, de-
nied him developmental time. The glove is
MLB-ready, but there’s doubt that the bat
is as good as the .856OPS he posted last
season across three levels.
Spencer Kieboom Spencer Kieboom
DOB: 3/16/91
Ht. 6′
Wt. 199
Bats: R
Throws: R
Career Stats
Considered a defense-first backstop,
Kieboom was a pleasant surprise with a
.258/.362/.305 line while splitting time
catching with Craig Manuel in Auburn. It
also “helps” that the Nats have traded
away much of their catching depth, thus
paving the way for him to rise quickly
if he continues to hit enough to justify
his glove.
Craig Manuel Craig Manuel
DOB: 5/22/90
Ht. 6’1″
Wt. 205
Bats: L
Throws: R
Career Stats
A lot of the same things that have been
“said” about Kieboom also apply to
Manuel. His offensive numbers are also
quite similar: .659OPS vs .667OP. It’s
possible that the two will continue to
split time in Hagerstown until one of
them “wins” the job, similar to what
happened with Nieto and Leon in 2010.
Pedro Severino
Born: 7/20/93
Ht. 6’1″
Wt. 180
Bats: R
Throws: R
Career Stats
One of the ballyhooed ’11 IFAs, Severino
repeated the GCL as an 18-y.o.. He made
modest improvements on offense, most
notably cutting his strikeouts by a third.
Defensively, his numbers improved (.989 to
.993FA, 35 to 43CS%) so the hope is that
if Kieboom and Manuel aren’t paired, he
could be challenged with Hagerstown.

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