The first two entries in this series focused on players who are moving up in the system and the question is one of advancing to AA baseball, which is really (Jorge Polanco 2014 aside) the real first glimpse of closeness to the majors that a minor leaguer can see. For the final installment, I am turning to another major step in the system--full season A ball--and am profiling catcher Brian Navarreto as a "push candidate" for promotion to Cedar Rapids.

The Player

Brian Navarreto is 20 years old (DOB: December 29, 1994) and is 6'4", 220+ pounds. He was drafted in the 6th 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 in 2014. 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 pound lefties for a .930 OPS, however.

He is getting closer and closer to major league ready as a 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 worried about his bat catching up soon enough. 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 then 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. The two of them have time at first base in the minors and they are appropriately sized as well for the position to get on the field that way as well. 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 moving up to AAA quickly. Navarreto is still raw and needs development, but is excellent defensively and has intriguing power potential. All three players are at crucial times in development: Walker and Harrison need to improve various aspects of their approach at the plate to fine-tune their game, and Navarreto needs to get more comfortable and to get more at bats to take the next step toward top-20 prospect material.