KCB
Bryan Lavastida, C
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Scouting report
Lavastida continued to improve defensively and show ongoing signs of offensive competence during 2020 instructs, so with his 40-man deadline arriving in 2021, he's no longer just an interesting developmental sleeper. He's now a high-priority follow for teams (and for internal evaluation) throughout next season. Though he squatted a few times at JUCO in the month leading up to the 2018 draft, Lavastida only totally moved from shortstop to catcher after he entered pro ball. His hitting hands are pretty powerful, working in a lift-friendly circle (Lavastida inside-outs some balls he could pull but he's strong enough to do damage anyway), and Lavastida has had no issues adjusting to pro pitching while learning to catch. He struck out just 12% of the time against Penn League pitching in 2019. His defense may be challenged when he's forced to catch real big league stuff with greater regularity, and because he was alternating between catching and DH during most of 2019 we don't know whether Lavastida's offense will be diluted by catcher's bumps and bruises. But because he has a shot to both catch and be a viable offensive threat, Lavastida is a 2021 breakout candidate. (Fall Instructional League)