Brian Navarreto - 2014

[acrozelle]

The Basics:

 

DOB: December 29, 1994 (Age 19)

Position: C

Bats: Right

Throws: Right

Height: 6' 4"

Weight: 220 lbs

 

2013:

Brian Navarreto was drafted in the 6th round of the 2013 MLB Amateur Draft out of Arlington Country Day School in Jacksonville, FL. While it is in the past, it needs mentioning that Navarreto scared a few teams off and fell to the Twins in the draft after getting in a nasty brawl during a game his senior year of high school.

 

After being drafted, Navarreto reported to the rookie-level Gulf Coast League, where he struggled in his first stint of pro ball hitting .226/.318/.365. In 158 PA's he struck out 38 times, but showed decent plate awareness and drew 15 walks. While he only had 31 hits, 13 of them went for extra bases and he showed some good pop at the plate.

 

He'll be playing in extended spring training for the beginning of the 2014 season and will be assigned to a team to play short-season ball in June.

 

Offense:

 

Navarreto has a chance to hit for both power and average. From the right side of the plate he shows good bat speed and raw power. Scouting reports suggest that he gets to get a little too power conscious at times and tends to keep his weight back, causing his swing to get a little uphill. But with some hitting adjustments, he projects well at the plate. He has very intriguing tools and the potential to become an extremely good hitter.

 

Defense:

 

Navarreto is very athletic behind the plate, showing quickness and agility, which considering his large frame is quite impressive. He has a plus arm and shows accuracy when throwing down to second. If his big body allows it, he has all the tools to stick behind the plate.

 

So what do we have here?

 

With his top level tools as a catcher and potential to hit for power and average, Brian Navarreto is a very interesting prospect. While he has a long way to go as a prospect, his potential is visible and exciting. Catchers drafted out of high school not named Joe Mauer tend to be long-term projects and while he is a ways away from the bigs, he is a player that definitely deserves your attention and is worth keeping an eye on. I, for one, am looking forward to covering him this upcoming season.

[acrozelle]

I wish I had something to report to you guys. But as far as I know, Navarreto is still in extended spring training and hasn't been assigned to a team yet. Once that happens, I'll keep the posts coming.

 

For the time being here's a video of him taking batting practice and some live at bats.

 

 

I, by no means, have any scouting ability. But as I stated above, scouting reports suggested that sometimes he doesn't transfer his weight all the way forward and stays back, forcing pop-ups. I believe you can see this happen in some of his cuts. That will be something for him and his coaches to work on moving forward.

 

I hope this suffices for the time being.

[acrozelle]

In Elizabethton's first game of the season, Navarreto played Catcher and batted 6th. He went 1-4 for the night, his lone hit came in the top of the 5th with a line-drive double to left. He also walked once, had one RBI, and scored two runs.

[acrozelle]

Brian has appeared in 9 games this season, splitting time with the other catchers on the roster. So far he has struggled with the stick, with only 5 Hits in 32 AB's for a .156/.206/.281 slash line. For what it's worth, 4 of those 5 hits have gone for extra bases. He has K'd 8 times, BB'd only twice, and has 3 RBI's so far on the year. Let's hope he can get it turned around.

[acrozelle]

Well, to say Navarreto has been struggling so far this season would be putting it lightly.

 

In 59 AB's he's hitting .153/.206/.271 (.478). That's 9 Hits (5 of them have gone for extra bases, FWIW), and 4 BB's. He's K'd 15 times.

 

Hopefully he starts turning it around.