Troy Claunch

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #397 prospect in 2021 draft
  With 2019 No. 1 overall pick Adley Rutschman behind the plate in Claunch’s first two years at Oregon State, he had trouble finding consistent playing time. But he took over full-time catching duties in 2020, hitting .244/.306/.489 with three home runs and 13 RBIs in 14 games. He’s had a breakout year at the plate in 2021, hitting .321/.389/.424, but he’s sacrificed some of his power while cutting down on his strikeouts and walking at a higher rate (10.1%). Claunch is one of the older prospects in the class (turns 23 in September), and there are questions among evaluators about his hit tool. He can catch up to velocity, but struggles to hit breaking balls and has worked to lay off more this year. Claunch has solid power in his strong, 6-foot, 208-pound frame and despite some rawness behind the plate projects as a solid defender. He has good catch-and-throw skills, handles the pitching staff well and shows the leadership qualities necessary for the position.
• Ranked #420 prospect in 2020 draft
  Claunch had very big shoes to fill after stepping into the catching role at Oregon State the year after Adley Rutschman was the first overall pick in the 2019 draft. While Claunch is far from the prospect that his former teammate was, he is a solid defender and natural leader who understands how to call a game and how to work with his pitching staff. There’s some rawness to his game behind the plate that will need to be ironed out, but evaluators think he has all the tools to be a solid defensive backstop. He’s shown some promise with the bat, particularly after a freshman season in which he hit .321/.512/.571 in 23 games, but his production since then has been more middling, and he struggled in 14 games this spring with 20 strikeouts to just four walks, while hitting .244/.306/.489.