Brewers Challenge Teenaged Mario Feliciano

On the surface, it would seem a bit aggressive to send an 18-year-old catcher to low Class A Wisconsin the year after he was drafted.

The way the Brewers viewed Mario Feliciano, however, they didn’t consider him your average teenager behind the plate.

“Mario showed enough during his debut season last year (in the Rookie-level Arizona League) as well as in spring training to convince us that, despite his age, that he was ready for the challenge of beginning the season with Wisconsin,” farm director Tom Flanagan said.

“Our field coordinator and roving catching instructor Charlie Greene has worked very hard with Mario and was very bullish on his readiness for the Midwest League.”

In the early going, that confidence was well founded. Through 17 games with the Timber Rattlers in April he batted .292/.347/.431 with a home run and nine RBIs.

And the Brewers were pleased with the way he handled himself behind the plate as well.

A supplemental second-round pick last June out of Puerto Rico’s Beltran Baseball Academy, Feliciano was considered an offensive-minded catcher, and some scouts are concerned about whether his long-term future is behind the plate.

He has good athleticism and above-average plate discipline for his age.

As Feliciano, who bats righthanded, matures both physically and mentally, the Brewers believe he will develop power. He also has a strong arm, and the Brewers believe he can stay behind the plate.

That factor is important because the organization had been thin on catching prospects, prompting decision-makers to focus on adding depth at the position in the 2016 draft.

“He is holding his own on both sides of the ball in the early going,” Flanagan said. “He might have arrived out of the draft with more of a reputation as a hitter, but after seeing him for a period of time, he has shown some good ability and instincts behind the plate as well.

“We really like his upside. We feel he has a chance to be a future impact bat from the catching position.”

— Tom Haudricourt covers the Brewers for the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel