Deon Stafford Stats & Scouting Report

Full name Deon Christopher Stafford Jr.
Born 03/17/1996 in Harrisburg, PA
Profile Ht.: 5'11" / Wt.: 211 / Bats: R / Throws: R
School St. Joseph's
Drafted in the 5th round (148th overall) by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2017 (signed for $315,000).

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Stafford entered 2017 as the No. 1 prospect in the Atlantic 10 conference, thanks to a juggernaut sophomore season in which he hit a St. Joseph's record 18 home runs and slashed .395/.486/.702 en route to becoming the conference player of the year. He followed that up with a strong showing in the Cape Cod League, where he hit .283/.377/.509 with six home runs and ranked as the No. 11 prospect. This year as a junior, Stafford hasn't had quite that kind of production and scouts have seen him look overmatched with good velocity and pitches in on his hands. His slugging percentage is down, he's swinging and missing more often and his walks are up as pitchers have his 2016 season to scare them out of the zone. Behind the plate, he's athletic, but his arm is fringe-average at best and there's uncertainty about whether or not he can stick behind the dish. Given this year's draft class, Stafford is still one of the more exciting catchers simply because of his raw power and impressive season as a sophomore, but he didn't do much to solidify himself this season, only raising questions about his hit tool.

Top Rankings

Track Record: Stafford is one of the most decorated players in the history of St. Joseph's, earning All-Atlantic 10 Conference honors three straight seasons and setting school single-season records for hits (85) and home runs (18) in 2016.

Scouting Report: Stafford advanced to low Class A West Virginia in 2018, and he is the most promising catcher in the system. Behind the plate, he's grown in his ability to understand pitch sequencing and call a game, and he has the charisma of a captain. He had throwing issues early in the season, but his pop times have improved. At the plate, he has good bat speed and feel for the barrel and has shown power to all fields with 16 home runs and a .428 slugging percentage in his first two seasons. He struck out 99 times in 2018, but has generally shown good plate discipline and understanding of the zone. ther future: Stafford will most likely start 2019 in high Class A Bradenton.

Stafford entered 2017 as the No. 1 prospect in the Atlantic 10 conference, thanks to a juggernaut sophomore season in which he hit a St. Joseph's record 18 home runs and slashed .395/.486/.702 en route to becoming the conference player of the year. He followed that up with a strong showing in the Cape Cod League, where he hit .283/.377/.509 with six home runs and ranked as the No. 11 prospect. This year as a junior, Stafford hasn't had quite that kind of production and scouts have seen him look overmatched with good velocity and pitches in on his hands. His slugging percentage is down, he's swinging and missing more often and his walks are up as pitchers have his 2016 season to scare them out of the zone. Behind the plate, he's athletic, but his arm is fringe-average at best and there's uncertainty about whether or not he can stick behind the dish. Given this year's draft class, Stafford is still one of the more exciting catchers simply because of his raw power and impressive season as a sophomore, but he didn't do much to solidify himself this season, only raising questions about his hit tool.