Mitch Garver

Catcher

 

2015 Assignment: Fort Myers Miracle 

Status: Active

Full Name: Mitchell Lynn Garver
Age: 24 (January 15, 1991)

Birthplace: Albuquerque, NM

Bats/Throws: R/R Ht: 6' 1" Wt: 220

Draft: Round 9 (2013, MIN)

School: New Mexico

 

Scouting Scores

 

While Garver may not even be the top catching prospect in the organization, he opened some eyes last year at Cedar Rapids with a .298 BA along with 16 HR and 79 RBI. An offense-first catcher, he's also been getting some time at first base and outfield to help keep that bat in the lineup.

 

He'll likely settle in for the long haul at Fort Myers this year. It will be interesting to see if that bat that clubbed well in college as well as his first year in the minors continues to grow. There is some significant sleeper potential here.

 

So far Garver isn't lighting up the Florida State League with just a .143 average through 42 at bats.

 

His 3 RBI does not represent the kind of production that the Miracle or the Twins are hoping to see from the young catcher. If you're looking for a bright spot, 3 of his 6 hits so far have been doubles.

 

The kid can swing it, so expect his numbers to jump up soon.

There has finally been a blip on the EKG for Mitch Garver in Fort Myers!

 

After a dismal start, which had his average hanging around .150, Garver has put together back-to-back productive games. He is now 15/83 for a .181 average that should be on the rise. 

 

His productivity has been better than just that line. He now is tied for the lead on the Miracle with 11 RBI. So, while Garver is not living on the base paths, he's making his hits count. 

Garver was the Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Year in 2014 when he had a big year in Cedar Rapids. 

.677 OPS in Fort Myers this year is actually not too shabby. It would be good for the Twins to test him out in AA right away, but at the very latest to begin 2016.

Garver us heating up, hitting .257/.381/.514 (.895). his last 10 games. Even since June 1, Garver has been hitting .285/.390/.401(.791).

 

Overall for the season, in the pitcher-friendly Fort Myers (as Shane Wahl noted) he is hitting .246/.361/.327(.688). That is a very respectable OBP for a catcher in any league, but the SLG. still needs to improve.

So this Garver guy is now hitting .252/.364/.343 (.706) on the year, although worth noting that since June 1 he has been hitting .288/.390/.412 (.802).  His strike-zone control seems to be pretty good with 13.2% BB and 14.9% Ks. Now he just needs to find the power he had last year in Ceder Rapids, although some part of that may be the Florida State League effect. Is he still part of our plans? I still think the Twins should trade for a young, high-upside catcher, but that kind of trade always involves a lot of risk, and it is nice to have a decent prospect like Garver to help hedge against that risk.

 

So this Garver guy is now hitting .252/.364/.343 (.706) on the year, although worth noting that since June 1 he has been hitting .288/.390/.412 (.802).  His strike-zone control seems to be pretty good with 13.2% BB and 14.9% Ks. Now he just needs to find the power he had last year in Ceder Rapids, although some part of that may be the Florida State League effect. Is he still part of our plans? I still think the Twins should trade for a young, high-upside catcher, but that kind of trade always involves a lot of risk, and it is nice to have a decent prospect like Garver to help hedge against that risk.

 

AA is going to be a massive test for him out of the gates next year. I could see a Turner-Garver future, but that future is 2017 at the earliest. Garver is actually a guy to trade back (with more substantial parts, obviously) to a team for their high upside catcher.

 

AA is going to be a massive test for him out of the gates next year. I could see a Turner-Garver future, but that future is 2017 at the earliest. Garver is actually a guy to trade back (with more substantial parts, obviously) to a team for their high upside catcher.

Yeah, if a team would take him as part of the value for a higher-upside catcher (like maybe the Giants or Mets, cough cough), then that would be great. Not sure if other teams would look at it that way though.

Edited August 21, 201511 yr by nytwinsfan