NYH
Rafael Marchan, C
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Scouting report
Marchan has rare feel for contact for a catcher and held his head above water during a brief major-league trial at age 21. Even though he didn't hit his first pro home run until he was in the big leagues, Marchan's left-handed swing might enable him to hit for a little bit of pull pop, and opposing pitchers should be wary of his ability to turn on velocity under his hands. He has less ability to do damage out and away from him, and his right-handed swing is far inferior to his left. There's still feel for the barrel from the right side, but a less-connected lower half; Marchan just sort of throws the bat head at the ball as a right-handed hitter and can't hit for power from that side. He's also a suitable, but unspectacular defensive catcher. He'll catch on one knee for certain pitchers but not for others, and his lateral mobility is noticeably hampered when he does. Marchan's ball-blocking has improved but is still not great, like a hockey goalie who gives up longer rebounds. From a skills standpoint, he's not all that different from Adrian Del Castillo (a likely first round catcher in this year's draft) or even Keibert Ruiz, but the mediocre defense and ability to turn him around and neuter his offense prevented Marchan from entering the top 100. He projects as a low-end regular or even timeshare catcher sort, which teams badly need, and he's big league ready. He's a high-profile trade candidate now that J.T. Realmuto has signed long-term. (Alternate site, MLB)