Article: Push Candidate: Brian Navarreto

[Shane Wahl]

The first two entries in this series focused on players who are moving up in the system and the question was one of advancing to AA baseball, which is really (Jorge Polanco 2014 aside) the real first experience of closeness to the majors that a minor leaguer can see. For the final installment, I am turning to another level 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 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.

 

Click here to view the article

[clutterheart]

Wiyh

[diehardtwinsfan]

He was an intriguing draft prospect. While his defense may be good, he's not going to amount to much of anything if he cannot hit. I'd probably keep him in Elizabethon and see if that tool will progress a bit more. Moving him up to face harder pitching when he cannot hit the easier stuff doesn't strike me as a good idea.

[Lonestar]

He's a catcher.  Why not let him catch in meaningful games in A ball until the short season starts.  Then make a decision.

[Steve Lein]

I'd keep him in Elizabethton I think. I'm quite certain he was drafted more for his offensive potential than his defense, though he gets great marks for his arm strength. Pretty sure Pinto was excellent at throwing out runners back then too, and look how that has worked out.

 

But if it's his offensive ability that could be his calling card, I wouldn't push him to Cedar Rapids to start because he hasn't shown anything with his bat yet.

[Seth Stohs]

He was definitely drafted for his offensive upside. He's got huge potential. He's a large individual, very strong, terrific power. He's got a long ways to go to develop into what he can be. 

 

Defensively is where he's got some work to do. Caught stealing percentage is a pretty small piece of the equation. He has a very strong arm, but at his size, he'll take some time. 

 

I really like Navarreto and think he has a lot of potential. I think he starts in Cedar Rapids, but it might be best for him, long-term, to go back to Elizabethton.

[nater79a]

Wouldn't mind seeing what Jake Mauer and Tommy Watkins can do with him at Cedar Rapids. But yeah, wouldn't hurt to get some individual hands-on training in extended spring either.

[Seth Stohs]

Ray Smith and Jeff Reed are very good coaches at Elizabethton too. 

[kab21]

What are the sources that suggest he is nearly MLB ready as a defender?

 

Navarreto was a raw but physically talented HS catcher that fell in the draft due to makeup issues.  He supposedly had good to great offensive and defensive tools but I seriously question that his defense has progressed to the point that he is nearly MLB ready. 

[Shane Wahl]

I actually had to look this up more thoroughly, then I did for Harrison or Walker.

 

For one, quickly:

http://www.perfectgame.org/Players/PlayerProfile.aspx?ID=341940

 

Another:

 

http://macksmets.blogspot.com/2013/05/draft-13-adam-plutko-brian-navarreto.html

 

Another: 

 

http://www.baseballfactory.com/AllAmerica/alumni/2012/National/Brian-Navarreto

 

 

Clearly it doesn't say "close to major league ready." His arm is fantastic and accurate, though. 

[kab21]

I actually had to look this up more thoroughly, then I did for Harrison or Walker.

 

For one, quickly:

 

http://www.perfectgame.org/Players/PlayerProfile.aspx?ID=341940

 

Another:

 

http://macksmets.blogspot.com/2013/05/draft-13-adam-plutko-brian-navarreto.html

 

Another: 

 

http://www.baseballfactory.com/AllAmerica/alumni/2012/National/Brian-Navarreto

 

 

Clearly it doesn't say "close to major league ready." His arm is fantastic and accurate, though. 

 

Your sources are 2-3 years old.  Yes, he has good defensive tools but that in no way suggests at all that he is anything that you billed him as.  In addition to that all of those articles suggests that he has really good offensive upside and continuing to promote him when he has struggled offensively doesn't help the bat progress.

[Shane Wahl]

Your sources are 2-3 years old.  Yes, he has good defensive tools but that in no way suggests at all that he is anything that you billed him as.  In addition to that all of those articles suggests that he has really good offensive upside and continuing to promote him when he has struggled offensively doesn't help the bat progress.

 

Yes, they are from his high school time. And his CS% is 46% in 46 games. He has 3 errors, for a .996 fielding percentage. He has a great arm and good footwork. I understand SSS, but his CS% and fielding percentage are better than Turner and Garver. Is there some report out there about a glaring defensive weakness that has developed? Evidence generally matters.

[kab21]

No.  Recent scouting reports matter.  CS% and F% are incredibly poor metrics to use to evaluate a catcher's defense.  At this point we don't know how good his defense is.  Just because he was rated good defensively as a HS'er doesn't mean that it translated to the pros and there is absolutely nothing to suggest that he should be pushed through the system when his bat (with upside) has shown that it's not ready.

[Shane Wahl]

Yes they are poor metrics for catcher defense, but for minor league catchers--and especially ones in the lower levels--any other statistics are hard to come by.

 

From TD's very own Prospect Handbook: "Forecast for '15: Despite lackluster offensive numbers in 2013, Navarreto was still promoted to the Appy League. His defensive prowess was evident. He could use another year in the rookie leagues to work on his offense, but pairing him with more advanced pitchers defensively makes sense, too."

kab21, when you say "at this point we don't know how good his defense is" it comes off rather strange given how adamant you are about how his defense isn't good. 

 

Seems like his first year went well defensively according to those writing the Handbook. And 2014's "bad metrics" indicated that the arm and footwork must be translating well.

If you have access to any "recent scouting reports" then please share. I am the only one providing any evidence of any kind whatsoever here.

[kab21]

I have never said that he was not good defensively.  I have clearly said that we don't really know how good he is defensively.  There is absolutely no information out there that indicates that his defense is anywhere close to MLB ready as you claim.

[Linus]

Shane, thanks for writing these articles - very interesting.  I was with you on the first two, this one not so much.  I tend to lean towards letting him have a little more success with the bat before moving him a level.  Kind of nice to see some good catching prospects in the system....

[Shane Wahl]

Shane, thanks for writing these articles - very interesting.  I was with you on the first two, this one not so much.  I tend to lean towards letting him have a little more success with the bat before moving him a level.  Kind of nice to see some good catching prospects in the system....

 

I think one can go two ways with this, though. Since they trust that his bat is going to develop, they may just not worry about it for the moment. Instead, they can value his defensive growth and make the case for needing to work with more advanced pitchers.

 

On the other hand, they could just wait for his bat to dominate rookie ball. I am not sure I would do that.