Brendan Katin

Organization Prospect Rankings

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  Ranked Milwaukee Brewers #30 prospect in 2008
  Katin has more raw power than any hitter in the system, with the exception of Matt LaPorta. The problem is that he has shown little else to get excited about and has been an all-or-nothing player. A teammate of Ryan Braun at Miami, Katin has similar pop but lags far behind in plate coverage and pitch selection. He's particularly susceptible to breaking balls because of his long swing, and his lack of discipline resulted in a Double-A Southern League-leading 163 strikeouts last year. He has to revise his two-strike approach, cut down his swing and put the ball in play more often. Katin is a good athlete for his size. He has decent speed to go with average range and arm strength in right field. The Brewers don't have many true power prospects, so they'll keep giving Katin the chance to show that he can do more than hit homers and strike out. He should get his first taste of Triple-A in 2008.
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  Ranked Milwaukee Brewers #26 prospect in 2007
  A low-round draft pick as a college senior who played most of the year at high Class A, Katin has a strong physique that gives him his one major calling card: raw power. Playing in a stadium in which the wind constantly is in the face of hitters, he managed to finish last season with 34 doubles and 13 homers before a promotion to Double-A. Katin was a college teammate of 2005 first-round pick Ryan Braun and has similar power and mental toughness. He takes an aggressive cut and his swing gets a bit long at times, making him strikeout-prone and especially susceptible to offspeed pitchers. Roving hitting instructor Jim Skaalen worked with Katin at toning down that swing and putting the ball in play more often. At 24, he can't afford to sacrifice any power as he faces the upper levels and must gain better control of the strike zone while doing so. Katin has decent speed for his size and a strong arm that allows him to play right field. With raw power that is missing for the most part in the organization, Katin only needs to continue working on keeping his stroke shorter and swinging at strikes. The Brewers have been impressed with his makeup and aggressive approach to the game. He will return to Double-A to start 2007.