Juan Centeno

Organization Prospect Rankings

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  Ranked New York Mets #28 prospect in 2014
  When the Mets needed a third catcher for their expanded September roster, they turned to Centeno, the system's best defender at the position who gunned down 56 percent of basestealers in 2013. He became the answer to a trivia question when on Sept. 25 he became the first (and so far only) big league catcher to throw out Reds speedster Billy Hamilton. On the Hamilton caught stealing, Centeno turned in a pop time between 1.7 to 1.8 seconds, which is well-above-average. Pitchers like throwing to him because he's an agile receiver with good hands and a strong, accurate arm. Because he has a contact-oriented lefty bat, he could be a backup in the big leagues for a long time, though he generates practically no power from his lean, 5-foot-9 frame. Centeno has thrown out 42 percent of basestealers in the minors and could one day be a nice backup complement to Travis d'Arnaud.