Max Stassi Stats & Scouting Report

AB	11
AVG	.091
OBP	.375
SLG	.091
HR	0

Full name Max Robert Stassi
Born 03/15/1991 in Woodland, CA
Profile Ht.: 5'10" / Wt.: 200 / Bats: R / Throws: R
School Yuba City
Debut 08/20/2013
Drafted in the 4th round (123rd overall) by the Oakland Athletics in 2009 (signed for $1,500,000).

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Stassi carries on the family's baseball tradition, and he has a chance to be the best offensive catcher in this year's deep catching crop. He is related to Myril Hoag, an outfielder who played during the 1930s and '40s for the Yankees and St. Louis Browns and was an all-star in 1939, and Stassi's father is his high school coach. Stassi got off to a sizzling start this spring, hitting .593 with nine homers in his first 21 games. For a high schooler, he's an exceptionally advanced hitter. He attacks the ball, uses the entire field and has above-average bat speed. Defensively, Stassi is solid but not outstanding. Other catchers are superior in catch-and-throw skills, but scouts agree that Stassi should have no difficulty remaining behind the plate. A bothersome shoulder injury restricted him to DH duty for about a month, but he has since returned to catching full time.

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

Stassi has finally the injuries that once threatened to ruin his career behind him. After joining the Astros in the 2013 Jed Lowrie trade, Stassi was diagnosed with a sports hernia that appears to have played a part in the shoulder and ankle injuries that had limited him previously. He also had a concussion in 2013. Unfortunately Stassi's bat has gotten sicker as he's gotten healthier. He has struggled to make enough contact to hit for any sort of acceptable average in two seasons at Triple-A (and he struck out 13 times in his 42 MLB at-bats as well). His swing is geared for power, so when he runs into one, he can drive it a long way, but he shows little feel for adjusting to a pitcher's game plan and rarely employs a two-strike approach. Stassi has plus raw power and should be good for 10-12 home runs with regular playing time, below-average or worse batting averages. Stassi is a solid-average defender most notable for his lack of significant weaknesses behind the plate. His arm is average and he's an average pitch presenter. The trade of Hank Conger may open up an opportunity for Stassi to be an inexpensive backup catcher.
Stassi comes from a rich baseball family that includes his father Jim, a catcher who reached Triple-A with the Giants, and brother Brock, who played for the Phillies' Double-A Reading club in 2014. He's the first family member since his great uncle Myril Hoag (1931-45) to reach the majors, though. Acquired from the Athletics in the deal that sent Jed Lowrie away in February 2013, Stassi largely stayed healthy in 2014 in what was otherwise a down year at Triple-A Oklahoma City. He posted a .674 OPS, his lowest in a full minor league season. As an average defender with plus raw power, Stassi has intriguing tools for a backstop. He handles pitchers well and is a good receiver, but he has a fringe-average arm. Evaluators believe he'll hit enough to be a major league catcher, but his long swing makes him overmatched against top velocity. He's ticketed for Triple-A again in 2015.
Stassi has rarely been healthy since signing for $1.5 million as an Athletics fourth-round pick in 2009. A shoulder injury limited him to being a DH for part of his senior year of high school, and the same malady forced him to have surgery that cost him much of his 2011 season. Stassi missed time in 2012 with ankle and oblique problems. The Astros acquired him when they dealt Jed Lowrie to Oakland in February 2013, then found he had a detached muscle in his hip that was repaired surgically. They believe that was the root of his injury problems. Upon his return, Stassi hit 10 home runs in a 15-game stretch at Double-A Corpus Christi in July. His poor injury luck continued, however. Called up to Houston, he suffered a concussion in his big league debut after being hit by a pitch. Stassi's injury history is frightening, but his above-average power potential is rare for a catcher, especially one who is a solid-average receiver behind the plate. His arm is average despite the shoulder problems in the past. Stassi isn't picky enough at the plate--he had neary as many home runs as walks in 2013--but he has a chance to be an everyday catcher thanks to his power. In 2014, he'll try to earn the job as backup to Jason Castro and could get his first time at Triple-A Oklahoma City.
Stassi's baseball bloodlines go back to his great-great uncle Myril Hoag, who played 13 seasons in the majors in the 1930s and '40s. His father Jim reached Triple-A with the Giants and his brother Brock is a first baseman in the Phillies system. Max netted a $1.5 million bonus in 2009, but injuries have slowed his pro career. He put two years of right shoulder problems behind him with surgery in May 2011, then missed time last year with ankle and oblique maladies. Stassi has a simple swing with few moving parts and a short load and stride. His pitch recognition and the quality of his at-bats have improved, but he still tends to press and is susceptible to chasing pitches up in the strike zone or down and away. Oakland believes there's enough power in his bat to hit 15-20 home runs a season. Stassi's defense always has been advanced for his age, and he continues to receive high marks for his receiving and ability to handle pitchers. He has an accurate arm and its strength has continued getting better since his injuries, rating close to average. He threw out 24 percent of basestealers in 2012. After a stint in the Arizona Fall League, Stassi has positioned himself to move up to Double-A in 2013.
Stassi had pedigree and promise when the A's signed him for $1.5 million in 2009, a record for the fourth round at the time. His great-great uncle Myril Hoag played 13 years in the majors; his father Jim played in the minors; and older brother Brock was a 33rd-round pick by the Phillies in 2011. Stassi rarely has been at full strength over his two full seasons in the minors, bothered by right shoulder problems. He was playing through pain and limited to DH duty last season before being shut down in May for surgery. When he's healthy, Stassi has a compact swing with solid power, along with a feel for hitting and using the middle of the field. He was able to DH again during instructional league and showed the same bat speed he had in the past, but he hadn't resumed catching. He hasn't caught in a game since the end of the 2010 season, and the A's are hopeful his arm strength bounces back after the operation. He had a solid arm in the past and was a quality receiver, showing agility and soft hands. He has below-average speed. Stassi was on a throwing program in the fall and continued rehabbing over the winter. The A's hope to get Stassi a fresh start in high Class A this year. He could be an impact bat at catcher and still has time to catch up as he'll play all of 2012 as a 21-year-old.
Stassi set a fourth-round record (since broken by the Nationals' A.J. Cole) when he signed for $1.5 million in 2009. He has strong baseball bloodlines, as his great-great uncle Myril Hoag played for the Yankees in the 1930s, his father Jim played in the minors and was his high school coach and his older brother Brock is entering his senior season at Nevada. Stassi's swing is compact, and he has the bat speed and strength in his forearms and wrists to hit for at least average power. He shows the ability to work counts and use the middle the field, but also gets pull-happy and has trouble laying off high fastballs at times. Scouts worry about his open stance and how frequently he swings and misses. Nagging shoulder problems hampered his throwing in 2010, though Stassi did erase 34 percent of basestealers. He has soft hands and good agility behind the plate, and the A's praised how he took charge of the low Class A Kane County pitching staff as a teenager. He's a below-average runner. Stassi has the tools to develop into a solid all-around catcher. After Oakland gave him instructional league off so he could recover from the long grind of the season, he'll report to high Class A in 2011 and should put up bigger numbers in the California League.
Stassi comes from a baseball family. He's the great-great nephew of former big league outfielder Myril Hoag, and his father Jim played in the minors and was his high school coach. A first-round talent who slipped last June because of his price tag, Stassi landed the largest bonus ever given to a fourth-rounder, $1.5 million. Stassi has good leverage in his swing and plus raw power to all fields. He's an advanced hitter for his age, with a balanced setup and quick hands. Against older competition at short-season Vancouver, he showed he could lay off breaking pitches out of the zone and wasn't afraid to go deep in counts. He's a secure receiver and shows a feel for calling pitches, and he has a strong, accurate arm. The A's consider him a future plus defender behind the plate. A shoulder injury limited Stassi to DH duty for part of the high school season. His arm should play once healthy, but it bears watching. As with most young hitters, his stroke can get long at times. Oakland wants him to use his legs a little better in his swing. His speed is already below-average, but he's not a baseclogger. Stassi is mature enough to open his first full pro season at low Class A Kane County. He's still a few years away from the majors, but he appears to be the closest thing to a sure bet a high school catcher can be.

Minor League Top Prospects

Some Springfield players all but wondered if they should get some of Stassi?s big league meal money. That?s because the catcher used a late-June, three-game series against the Cardinals?he collected nine hits and 11 RBIs?to springboard to a strong second half and an Aug. 20 promotion to Houston. Stassi missed time in April with a sports hernia and hit just .232 in the first half, but afterward he launched 16 homers in 48 games while batting .300/.351/.616. Stassi handled Corpus Christi?s string of pitching prospects, showing a feel for receiving, calling pitches and game management. He gunned down 37 percent of basestealers more with a quick release and accuracy than pure arm strength. With a bat in his hands, he punishes mistakes but lacks the bat speed or selectivity to hit for a high average consistently. Stassi played in two August games for Houston before a pitch from Rangers reliever Tanner Scheppers hit him in the face. He suffered a concussion but no facial fractures and the Astros expect him to be ready for 2014.

Best Tools List

Rated Best Defensive Catcher in the Oakland Athletics in 2013
Rated Best Defensive Catcher in the Oakland Athletics in 2012
Rated Best Defensive Catcher in the Oakland Athletics in 2011
Rated Best Defensive Catcher in the Oakland Athletics in 2010

Career Transactions

Chicago White Sox placed C Max Stassi on the 60-day injured list. Left hip inflammation.
Chicago White Sox sent C Max Stassi on a rehab assignment to Charlotte Knights.
Chicago White Sox placed C Max Stassi on the 10-day injured list. Left hip inflammation.
Los Angeles Angels transferred C Max Stassi from the 10-day injured list to the 60-day injured list.
Los Angeles Angels placed C Max Stassi on the 10-day injured list retroactive to March 27, 2023. Left hip strain.