Bethancourt Is The Best Of The Atlanta Braves
2012 Top Catching Prospects

post from Talking Chop - All Posts on 29 October 2012 11:02:32 AM. © Talking Chop - All Posts

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With Brian McCann firmly entrenched at the position, the Atlanta Braves haven't had to worry about having a catcher waiting in the wings, but a rough 2012 season for McCann suddenly has Braves fans wondering what's on the farm. Unfortunately, the most talented catchers in the Braves Minor League system are also some of the most raw players in the organization.

1. Christian Bethancourt: B: R, T: R, Ht: 6'2", Wt: 219, DOB: 9-2-91

The Braves have had high hopes for Bethancourt since they signed him out of Panama, and they decided to challenge him in 2012, sending the 20 year old to AA. Unfortunately, he showed his youth, hitting just .243 with a .566 OPS, 5 doubles, 2 homers, 26 RBI, and 8 steals in 288 plate appearances for Mississippi before a broken hand ended his season in early August. Still, he was named a Southern League All-Star this season, and played in the Futures Game, mostly due to his stellar defense.

Bethancourt's arm is a true 80 on the scouting scale, and often cited as one of the best in the game. In previous season, his blocking and game calling have come under fire, but he was vastly improved in those areas this season and is considered one of the best defensive catchers in all of baseball. Offensively, he's a completely different story, showing little to no patience at the plate and little to no power despite his bulk. He walked in just 4% of his plate appearances this season, which was actually a slight improvement after walking in just 3% of his plate appearances in 2011. His strikeout rate wasn't particularly high, fanning in 17% of his at bats, so at least he is combining contact with his his free swinging approach. Of course, it hasn't been consistent contact, given his .243 average, nor has hit been solid contact, given his pathetic .291 slugging percentage. Just 12% of his hits this season went for extra bases.

At worst, Bethancourt can develop into an excellent backup catcher, though the Braves continue to hope that he develops along the lines of Yadier Molina, a top defender who struggled with the bat early in his career. It's easy to believe that some slugging power will develop as Bethancourt learns to make more consistent, more solid contact, but he will never become an every day catcher if he can't learn some patience at the plate. The bright side for the Braves is that Bethancourt will return to AA in 2013 and still only be 21 years old. He is still young enough to believe he can get better, and his defensive ability means even if his bat never comes around, he will have value.

2. Bryan de la Rosa: B: R, T: R, Ht: 5'8", Wt: 193, DOB: 3-26-94

After a few years of drafting more polished players with limited upside, the Braves returned to their roots this season, drafting a bevy of unpolished high school talents high on upside. de la Rosa was near the forefront of that shift, as the team selected the Puerto Rican native in the 3rd round. He struggled in his pro debut, hitting just .162 with a .415 OPS, 1 double, 1 homer, and 3 RBI, in 73 plate appearances in the GCL.

With a short and stocky build that reminds some of the great Puerto Rican catcher Pudge Rodriguez, de la Rosa is similarly known best for his defense, with his arm rating as one of the best in this year's draft. Like Bethancourt, de la Rosa projects to be a well above average catcher with questionable offense. The Braves aren't sure yet what to expect out of his bat, though given his size they don't expect him to develop much power.

de la Rosa will head to Low A Rome in 2013 as a 19 year old, and his biggest goal will be to improve himself as a hitter. If he can develop into at least an average hitter, he could be a Major League regular due to his stellar defense, but if he can't, he could still have value as a Major League backup. Like Bethancourt, de la Rosa has youth on his side, and the Braves are an organization well known for allowing players to develop at their own pace.

3. Josh Elander: B: R, T: R, Ht: 6'1", Wt: 215, DOB: 3-19-91

The Braves drafted Elander out of Texas Christian University in the 6th round this year, and he made his debut with Rookie Level Danville as their starting catcher and number 3 hitter, batting .260 with a .805 OPS, 6 doubles, 4 homers, and 19 RBI in 145 plate appearances.

As a prospect, Elander is the antithesis of Bethancourt and de la Rosa, projected to be an above average hitter with questionable defense. He's a bit bulky and awkward behind the plate, and there's hope he can become at least average as a catcher. He does have some experience playing the outfield with the USA National Team in the summer of 2011, and there's a possibility he may end up in the outfield in the future. The questions about his defensive future led to him falling to the sixth round in the draft, but the Braves may have gotten themselves a first round bat. He walked in 11% of his plate appearances, walking nearly as many times as he struck out, 11 to 19, and 38% of his hit went for extra bases. He projects to have plus power and could develop into an above average every day Major League hitter.

Elander will likely jump up to High A Lynchburg as a 22 year old in 2013, as the team will look to challenge his bat. The Braves will likely continue to develop him at catcher as long as they can, though they may come to a situation similar to what happened with Evan Gattis, where they decide it would be better off to let him focus on hitting by moving him off a defensively difficult position. Elander could end up being the best of the Braves' catching prospects, though he may not end up being a catcher.

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Rowdy fans take to streets after Giants victory
(Yahoo! Sports)

post from MLB News Blog on 29 October 2012 10:26:10 AM. © MLB News Blog

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — San Francisco is cleaning up after some revelers celebrating the Giants World Series victory turned rowdy.

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Eric Davis 1987 Topps

post from 30-Year Old Cardboard on 29 October 2012 10:13:20 AM. © 30-Year Old Cardboard

Eric Davis 1987 Topps Talk about a classic baseball card, right here. I pulled so many of these 1987 Topps cards of Eric Davis back in the day, just seeing this card takes me back to being a 12-year old … Continue reading →

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How sweep it is: Giants finish off Tigers (Yahoo!
Sports)

post from MLB News Blog on 29 October 2012 10:08:18 AM. © MLB News Blog

DETROIT (AP) — Kung Fu Panda, The Freak, The Beard and all their seed-throwing buddies are on top of baseball – again.

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MLB's lowest-elevated home runs of 2012

post from Beyond the Box Score - All Posts on 29 October 2012 10:02:21 AM. © Beyond the Box Score - All Posts

Laser

Oh, the home run.

Home runs come in all shapes and sizes. The towering, no doubter that affords the hitter the chance to watch it all unfold. The laser beam, that gets in the seats before the pitcher has even had time to finish his follow through and realize the damage that's been done. The just enough variety, that gives the outfielder a chance to make a highlight reel grab at the fence. Even the inside-the-parker that toggles the eyes between the batter racing around the bases and the outfielders desperately trying to chase down the wayward ball.

As a not-close-to-professional baseball player growing up, I did not hit a lot of home runs. My offensive game relied on lots of singles and doubles and some speed. On the rare occasion where I did hit one out, it would be a line drive that hugged the left field line and carried just long and high enough to clear the fence.

Perhaps this is why one particular baseball event that I love to watch is the low, laser beam home run. These are not necessarily limited to those that barely clear the fence, but any ball that is hit out on a low, line drive.

If I asked you to recall the hardest hit home run of 2012, there is a good chance your mind would bring back images of a broken scoreboard in Miami, thanks to a moonshot by Giancarlo Stanton off of a Jamie Moyer batting practice fastball. If I asked you to guess the longest home run of the season, you would likely also guess Stanton, and you would be correct. His 492 foot blast off Rockies' Josh Roenicke at Coors Field bested the field in 2012.

So here is a less obvious question: who hit the lowest home run that cleared the fences this year? Before you guess an inside-the-park home run, those are not included in this list. Four of the five lowest home run hitters of the season have had 30-HR seasons in the big leagues. Remember your guess, and leave it for us in the comments and we'll see the types of names that arise.

While analyzing the game is what I really love, sometimes everyone just needs to sit back and enjoy watching. Without further ado, here are the five lowest home runs of the 2012 season, with the highest home run shown first as a visual juxtaposition.