Steve Clevenger

Organization Prospect Rankings

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  Ranked Chicago Cubs #21 prospect in 2012
  Clevenger took a circuitous path to the majors. He began his college career as a shortstop at Southeastern Louisiana in 2005 and planned to transfer to Texas, but a credit snafu led him to Chipola (Fla.) JC, which made him draft-eligible a year earlier than expected. The Cubs signed him for $150,000 as a seventh-rounder in 2006, quickly found his infield actions lacking and converted him to catching in instructional league that fall. It took him six years to climb through the minors before he reached Chicago late last September. Clevenger excels at putting the bat on the ball. He controls the zone, rarely strikes out and has a career .308 average as a pro. He's not a big home run threat, but he can drive balls to the gaps and has done so more frequently in the last two years. As his legs have gotten stronger from catching, he has added power. He has developed nicely behind the plate, with Tennessee manager Brian Harper (a former big league catcher) calling Clevenger one of the best receivers he ever has seen. He has solid arm strength and makes accurate throws, though he erased just 23 percent of basestealers in 2011. He has improved his ability to block balls and manage a pitching staff. Clevenger has below-average speed but has more than most catchers and runs the bases intelligently. He also offers versatility, with the ability to play first or third base if needed. Clevenger profiles more as a quality backup than as a regular, and as a lefthanded hitter he'd be a perfect complement to Geovany Soto in Chicago. However, Welington Castillo is also in the picture, so Clevenger may spend most of 2012 in Triple-A.
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  Ranked Chicago Cubs #11 prospect in 2009
  Clevenger hoped to transfer to Texas after hitting .347 as a freshman at Southeastern Louisiana, but a problem with his credits landed him at Chipola (Fla.) JC instead--and made him draft-eligible a year earlier than planned. The Cubs liked his bat and signed him for $150,000 as a sixth-rounder in 2006. A shortstop in college, he lacked the speed for the middle infield, so Chicago exposed him to catching during instructional league in the fall of 2006. He got a little time behind the plate in 2007 before catcher became his primary position last season. Clevenger has the tools necessary to become a big league regular. He has a gift for making contact, spraying line drives to all fields. The Cubs believe his offense will pick up once his body gets accustomed to catching. Once he strengthens his legs so they can contribute more to his swing, some scouts think he could hit 30 doubles and 10- 15 homers annually as an everyday player. Clevenger made a lot of progress with his defense in 2008. He has an above-average arm and threw out 30 percent of basestealers last year. Technically, he's a better receiver right now than Welington Castillo, who has concentration lapses. Clevenger still needs to develop more defensively, but he's definitely on the right track. His speed, while below-average, isn't bad for a catcher. With all-star Geovany Soto in Chicago, the Cubs aren't in need of a regular backstop. Clevenger may be better suited than Castillo to complement Soto because he hits lefthanded and has the versatility to play first base and other positions in a pinch. He's ready to catch regularly in Double-A this year, but Castillo may be headed back to Tennessee as well.
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  Ranked Chicago Cubs #29 prospect in 2008
  After hitting .347 as a freshman at Southeastern Louisiana, Clevenger planned on transferring to Texas but a problem with his credits landed him at Chipola (Fla.) JC instead. The move made him draft-eligible a year early, and the Cubs signed him as a seventh-rounder in 2006 for $130,000. He moved from shortstop in college to second base in his pro debut, and Chicago worked him behind the plate in instructional league that fall. Clevenger continued to work on the transition to catching in extended spring training, then hit .340 with just 11 strikeouts in 65 games between Boise and Daytona. The Cubs had catchers who needed to play on both clubs, so Clevenger saw more time at first base, but they plan on developing him as a backstop. His ability to put the bat on the ball and spray line drives is intriguing, and he started to incorporate his legs more into his swing late in the year so he could develop some more power. Clevenger doesn't have the bat for first base, so his chances on reaching the majors hinge on his ability to catch. He moves well for a catcher, has some arm strength and threw out 33 percent of basestealers in 2007. His receiving skills are more shaky and he committed four passed balls in 18 games. Realistically, he has a ceiling as an offensive-minded backup. But Chicago will give him the chance to prove he can be more than that, and Clevenger could begin 2008 in Double-A so he can get regular time behind the plate.