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The Player
Brian Navarreto is 20 years old (DOB: December 29, 1994) and is 6'4", 220+ pounds. He was drafted in the sixth round of the 2013 draft out of Arlington Country Day School in Jacksonville, Florida. He has played in only 73 games in the Twins organization. He bats right handed and is a superb defensive catcher. Navarreto has played in both rookie levels in the organization and it might be time for him to move on up to full-season baseball.
The Situation
While his defense has been excellent, his bat faltered in his time in Elizabethon last year. His 2013 season was decent at the plate, with a .683 OPS in 158 plate appearances for the Gulf Coast Twins. Moving to Elizabethon in 2014 meant that Navarreto was going to face more ex-college level pitching and he did struggle. In 116 plate appearances, he posted a .194/.241/.370 (.612) line, with eight doubles, one triple, three homers, seven walks and 33 strikeouts. He did however pound lefties for a .930 OPS.
He is getting closer and closer to being a major-league-ready defender. He threw out a whopping 59% (16 for 27) of runners in 2014. It would seem to make sense to move him to Cedar Rapids to catch the next level of pitcher, and let his bat come along more slowly if need be.
The Possibilities
Navarreto could easily return to extended spring training and then report to Elizabethon to work on his offense. He could also just move up to Cedar Rapids, with the Twins not worrying about his bat. He has good power and should continue to improve offensively.
Moving to Cedar Rapids would mean pairing with Jorge Fernandez behind the plate. Often times it makes sense to have a prospect and an organizational catcher at each level, but I think both Fernandez and Navarreto deserve their time in Cedar Rapids. Both of them could fly up prospect lists after solid 2015 seasons in A-ball. In the minors, the two of them have both spent time at first base and they are appropriately-sized for that position; this could help each get on the field every day. I would expect Cedar Rapids to keep both in the lineup every day between catcher, first base and designated hitter.
Conclusion
This wraps up the three-part feature on three players in the system who I think should be pushed to the next level for 2015. Walker and Harrison can find time in AA Chattanooga and that destination is going to be pretty malleable roster-wise with prospects like Buxton, Sano, Rosario and Polanco likely quickly moving up to AAA. Navarreto is still raw and needs development, but is excellent defensively and has intriguing power potential. Each of the three is at a crucial time in his development: Walker and Harrison need to improve various aspects of their approach at the plate, and Navarreto needs to get more at-bats and offensive development to take the next step toward top-20 prospect ranking.
Interested in learning more about the Minnesota Twins' top prospects? Check out our comprehensive top prospects list that includes up-to-date stats, articles and videos about every prospect, scouting reports, and more!
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