July 2 Notebook: The Top International Catching Prospects

When international scouts want to sign a catcher, they go to Venezuela. Whether it’s a player who has been catching his whole life, someone who moved to the position recently or a player at another position who’s just built for catching, Venezuela is a perennial top source of young catchers.

From the Dominican Republic, the top catcher this year will likely be Nerio Rodriguez, who is expected to sign with the Astros. Then there are a slew of Venezuelan catchers who are expected to sign in the $200,000 to $500,000 or so range, including Juan Aparicio (Phillies), Israel Pineda (Nationals), Christian Longa (Red Sox), Wilfred Astudillo (Red Sox), Keiberth Mejias (Giants) and Roberto Molina (Brewers), among others.

Among all 2016 international prospects, the highest paid catcher is expected to be 16-year-old Abrahan Gutierrez, who is likely to sign with the Braves for at least $3 million. Gutierrez, who trains at Carlos Guillen’s academy, stood out in Venezuelan youth baseball circles at an early age.

When he was 11, he played catcher in the 12U World Championship in Taiwan in 2011. As a 14-year-old in 2014, he was one of the youngest players on the Venezuelan team that went to Mexico for the 15U World Cup, where he was teammates with Rockies outfielder Daniel Montano, Red Sox outfielder Albert Guiamaro and other prospects who signed on July 2 last year. Gutierrez held his own at the plate during that tournament, batting .250/.348/.400 in 22 plate appearances.

At that time, Gutierrez looked to be on the trajectory to become one of the top prospects in Venezuela for 2016, but he hasn’t taken the steps forward yet that some were expecting from him last year. He still is one of the better catchers on the market, he hasn’t dominated in games or shown the premium tools scouts would like to have seen given his expected price.

“He had tremendous ability as a catcher as a 14-year-old in that tournament,” said one scout. “It’s in there. He just got bigger—almost too big—but I still believe in his ability.”

At 6 feet, 205 pounds, Gutierrez has a bigger build for a catcher his age, so while he’s not the most athletic or agile defender, scouts highest on him liked his receiving ability and saw solid arm strength. While Gutierrez’s build had some scouts concerned about a move to first base, he has plenty of experience behind the plate and should be able to stick there as long as he keeps his conditioning in check. He’s a righthanded hitter with solid bat-to-ball skills and the ability to use the opposite field with gap power.

While Gutierrez will get the most money, several scouts preferred 16-year-old Venezuelan catcher David Garcia, who is represented by Felix Olivo and will likely sign with the Rangers for a little less than $1 million.

“I would have a tough time putting Gutierrez over David Garcia,” said another scout. “I think they’re completely different players, and Garcia is the way better player.”

Several clubs have Garcia ranked as the top catcher in the class and one of the premium prospects for this year. A year ago, Garcia had a small, frail build at around 5-foot-9, 145 pounds, but he has increased his strength, improved his swing and cleaned up his defense. He’s still not that big, but he has grown to around 5-foot-11, 170 pounds with two sweet swings.

Garcia has a compact, balanced swing from both sides of the plate with good path to the ball. While his lefthanded swing used to get long, he has shortened it up to keep his hands inside the ball, with some scouts thinking he’s now a better hitter from the left side. Garcia makes contact in games and has a good approach, though he doesn’t have much power now and doesn’t project to in the future, relying more on his ability to hit and get on base.

Garcia had spent time at shortstop when he was younger, but a year and a half ago he committed to catching full time. He projects to stick behind the plate and be a steady defender. Garcia has quick hands and feet and is a smooth receiver for his age. Other catchers have more powerful arms, but he has good arm action and could see his arm strength improve once he gets stronger. Garcia’s high baseball IQ shows up in all facets of the game and helps his pure tools play up.

“That was the best catcher in the whole class,” said one international director. “He can hit and play a premium position. I’m not saying he’s the best defensive catcher, but he didn’t really do anything wrong back there either. He had a good approach, a good swing and you can see the power might come later on. To find a catcher who can hit like that is tough.”

Another 16-year-old Venezuelan catcher drawing attention is Alison Quintero, who is expected to sign with the Padres for a little under $1 million after training with Yasser Mendez. At 5-foot-10, 180 pounds, Quintero is one of the most athletic catchers in the class, a legitimate 50 runner on the 20-80 scale with a lean upper half. His athleticism shows on defense, where he’s flexible and agile, with good blocking and receiving skills. He doesn’t have a plus arm, but he has short, compact arm action to get rid of the ball quickly with accurate throws. Quintero will stick behind the plate and earns praise from scouts for his energy, leadership, toughness and other intangibles that managers like to see in their catchers.

Offensively, there are more questions on Quintero, but he did perform well last year in Mexico at the COPABE 15U Pan American Championship, where he went 9-for-16 (.563). Some scouts have concerns about Quintero’s swing, though it’s not a long stroke and he does find a way to put the bat to the ball. He’s an aggressive righthanded hitter with a line-drive approach and gap power.