Peter O’Brien Stats & Scouting Report

AB	54
AVG	.13
OBP	.25
SLG	.333
HR	3

Full name Peter Robert O'Brien
Born 07/15/1990 in Hialeah, FL
Profile Ht.: 6'4" / Wt.: 225 / Bats: R / Throws: R
School Miami (FL)
Debut 09/11/2015
Drafted in the 2nd round (94th overall) by the New York Yankees in 2012 (signed for $460,000).

View Draft Report

O'Brien was little known at Miami's Braddock High, emerging as a sophomore at Bethune-Cookman when he hit 20 home runs, then four more to lead USA Baseball's college national team in the summer of 2010. He slumped a bit in 2011, dropping 80 points in batting average but was still a third-round pick of the Rockies. He didn't sign and transferred to Miami as a senior. O'Brien's spring got off to a tremendous start, first when the NCAA cleared him to play without having to sit out a year, then by hitting .354/.465/.677 with 10 home runs in his first 127 at-bats. He has plenty of strength in his 6-foot-5, 225-pound frame and doesn't have to pull the ball to hit it over the fence. He has good balance and the requisite arm strength to catch. At his size, though, O'Brien lacks agility and struggles to block balls in the dirt. Some scouts think he can hit enough to survive as a below-average receiver with inconstant throwing accuracy. A hairline fracture of his left wrist, sustained when he was hit by a pitch April 15, further complicated his draft status. Three weeks later, he had yet to swing a bat, though he hoped to return before the end of the regular season.

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

O'Brien has been one of the most prolific home run hitters in the minors since his debut in the Yankees system in 2012. He has hit 60 in just the past two seasons. Acquired in a 2014 deadline deal for Martin Prado, O'Brien did not seize the Diamondbacks' vacant catching spot in spring 2015, so he shifted to the outfield and made it to Phoenix in September, hitting his first homer off Astros ace Dallas Keuchel. O'Brien spent the bulk of his first three seasons as a catcher--his preferred position--showing the needed desire and work ethic but lacking flexibility, lateral mobility and receiving polish. After developing throwing issues, O'Brien spent the bulk of the Triple-A Reno season playing the outfield corners. He's a below-average defender at any position, despite arm strength and some athleticism. At the plate, he generates top-of-the-scale raw power from his strength and bat speed, but his long swing and high strikeout rate make him susceptible high-end pitchers. O'Brien will give catching another try in 2016, and it's his best path to a big league job. He could wind up back in Reno, because both his defense and plate approach require polish.
O'Brien has hit home runs throughout both his amateur and professional careers. He had slugged 33 when the Diamondbacks acquired him from the Yankees in a July 2014 deadline deal for big leaguer Martin Prado. O'Brien fouled a ball off his shin in his fourth game with his new organization and missed the rest of the regular season. He made up for lost time with a return trip to the Arizona Fall League. O'Brien is Arizona's most enigmatic prospect. While he has top-of-the-scale raw power and excellent makeup, scouts aren't sold on his ability to handle quality pitchers, either at the plate or behind it. His strength and good bat speed allow him to hit the ball out to any part of the park, but evaluators point to his long swing and suscepitibility to big velocity and good breaking balls. Behind the plate, he has a strong arm, receives well within his body and has hands that work well, but he needs to improve his blocking ability, lateral mobility and transfer on his throws. While the Yankees tried him at the infield and outfield corners, O'Brien is determined to develop into a good catcher with Arizona. He has put in the work there, reporting early for the AFL to work with catching coordinator Bill Plummer and later with big league bench coach Glenn Sherlock. O'Brien's high baseball IQ gives him a shot to stick behind the plate, but he has a lot of work to do. He'll likely return to Double-A Mobile as the everyday catcher in 2015, and if he can handle the position, he could be a star. If not, he may also top out as a bench bat or future DH.
O'Brien was two of the organization's better developments in an otherwise down year on the farm in 2013. A senior sign out of Miami, O'Brien led the system in home runs (22) and RBIs (96) and ranked second to Robert Refsnyder in batting (.291). He generates the most usable power of anyone in the organization except for Gary Sanchez and hit a 455-foot homer that ranked as the longest in the Arizona Fall League. Despite the high average, scouts grade O'Brien as a modest hitter thanks to a long, one-plane swing and lack of fluidity. He's strong enough to hit for power if he shortens up, and he has shown signs of making adjustments. Defense is a bigger question, and he grades out as a below-average defender either behind the plate or on the infield corners. He hadn't played third base since high school until 2013 and lacks mobility and agility. His plus arm does give him value as a catcher, but he's a limited receiver and struggles blocking balls in the dirt. His well below-average speed may preclude a move to the outfield. O'Brien will move to Double-A Trenton in 2014 and could wind up as a Jim Leyritz type who catches and sees time at the corners at the big league level.

Draft Prospects

O'Brien was little known at Miami's Braddock High, emerging as a sophomore at Bethune-Cookman when he hit 20 home runs, then four more to lead USA Baseball's college national team in the summer of 2010. He slumped a bit in 2011, dropping 80 points in batting average but was still a third-round pick of the Rockies. He didn't sign and transferred to Miami as a senior. O'Brien's spring got off to a tremendous start, first when the NCAA cleared him to play without having to sit out a year, then by hitting .354/.465/.677 with 10 home runs in his first 127 at-bats. He has plenty of strength in his 6-foot-5, 225-pound frame and doesn't have to pull the ball to hit it over the fence. He has good balance and the requisite arm strength to catch. At his size, though, O'Brien lacks agility and struggles to block balls in the dirt. Some scouts think he can hit enough to survive as a below-average receiver with inconstant throwing accuracy. A hairline fracture of his left wrist, sustained when he was hit by a pitch April 15, further complicated his draft status. Three weeks later, he had yet to swing a bat, though he hoped to return before the end of the regular season.

Minor League Top Prospects

O'Brien spent his first full season in the Diamondbacks organization with Reno, where he ranked second in the PCL with 26 home runs. He has now hit at least 20 home runs in each of his first three full seasons. When Reno's season ended, Arizona called him up to the major leagues for the first time. O'Brien has prodigious raw power thanks to his strength and the bat speed he produces. While Reno has a well-earned reputation as a launching pad, he can hit the ball out of any ballpark. With that power, however, comes a lot of swinging and missing, and he'll have to prove he can handle quality breaking stuff in the big leagues. O'Brien began his career as a catcher, but moved to the outfield this season. He's still learning his new position and has seen time in both corners. O'Brien has the power to profile as a corner outfielder, if he can make enough contact to consistently tap into it.