Twins Daily 2021 Top Prospects: #4 C Ryan Jeffers

I was one who fell in with the draft experts and thought the Twins were crazy to pick him in that spot.  It looked like there was a chance to get him in the 4th round but hard to say if he would have lasted that long or not.  Not having that 3rd round pick that year seemed to force them to take him higher than they might have wanted.  So far it looks like that was a good decision.  Strange but that 2018 draft without their supplemental and third round pick is shaping up to be a good one with Larnach, Jeffers, Sands and Winder at the top end and Willie Joe Garry, Auston Schulfer, Zach Neff, LaRon Smith Regi Grace and Charles Mack still in the running to make a difference.

I don't really know what to say about Jeffers that hasn't been said and after he burned me last time I am not that interested in doubting him again.

All I can say is I like him.  If he and a rejuvenated Garver are both at their best we have an amazing tandom.

I had never noticed catching defense more, than I did last year. I would see one pitch and think “Oh, good Jeffers is catching”. Man, he’s smooth! He made Avila look like an amateur. And Astudillo...Are they really playing the same sport?

When the electronic zone comes in, I think within next 5 years, he will lose value because framing will be a thing of the past.  Then blocking pitches and throwing runners out will be more important.  I still think he will have value for years to come either way. 

What a savvy draft pick (and '18 draft for that matter).  I loved seeing Jeffers perform in Elizabethton and Cedar Rapids to start his career.  He didn't slow down.  He only ramped up with each level.  I loved his Hot Stove interview when talking about being a physics major, "...I've always been smart."  Haaaaa, he left out confident.  He is very confident, and it works for him.  You want that behind the plate.  His work ethic is fantastic.  Another plus, is how many innings he's logged with our pitching prospects.  That'll definitely ease their transition when they make it up.

The only knock I have (it's not even a knock really) is why is his pitch framing said to be so good?  When you watch him, you can see him pulling the ball into the zone quite easily.  I'm an amateur umpire, and I'm FAAAAARRRRRR from perfect, but one thing you definitely notice is pushing and pulling of the pitches by the catcher.  One thing I'm consistently astonished by are MLB umpires and their ability to call the zone correctly at such a high percentage.  Long story longer, no way are MLB umpires unaware of his manipulation of the zone.

You don't need analytics to tell you Jeffers is solid behind the plate....the eye ball test is sufficient.  Since he and Garver will split duties, I'm very comfortable with his offense.  The throwing should improve with MLB coaching.  He seems to on an upward arc both offensively and defensively.

Won’t ever be an elite defender or an elite bat but the plate discipline will get better and he is a big boy with a nice looking swing. The power will be there! I believe he is the long term answer at catcher

I know just enough about catching to be dangerous, but I have always maintained the most important part of the job was communication with the pitching staff, and just having the pitchers comfortable working with and throwing to their backstop. Think Suzuki when he was with the Twins. He didn't do anything special, but you always heard how the pitchers liked throwing to him.

I think Jeffers has that "confidence" within himself and seems to invite that confidence. For the record I think Garver has grown tremendously in that area as well. The throwing portion of the position is nice, but the actual run game in MLB has largely disappeared. You still want a decent, accurate arm back there, but the best defense is still to not let those guys that do run get on base.

I was immensely impressed watching Jeffers last year, especially considering he was not only jumping a level but wasn't even playing ball on a normal daily basis when he made his appearance. I don't know how good he could be, but he looks like a real keeper. I believe he will be a fine offensive player all the way around but am uncertain as to his ceiling. My only concern is SSS at this point and how does his offense play over a full season. Even if he shows some struggles...not saying he will...but it shouldn't dampen expectations for his future success.

I will be disappointed if the Twins don't have the best 1-2 punch behind the plate in MLB for the next few years.