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Senior Superlatives: Top Defensive Catchers

November 27, 2019
PBR Georgia Staff



It has been a busy few weeks for Prep Baseball Report and PBR Georgia regarding the Class of 2020 and the approaching 2020 MLB Draft. First, we had the update of the 2020 National Rankings, with Georgia being well-represented, followed by the combined High School, Junior College and College 2020 Draft Board. Extending over the next few weeks, we are going to dive into the 2020 Georgia rankings and give our take on the prospects who possess the top tools in the state. Yesterday, we began by looking at the top-5 left-handed bats, top-5 right-handed bats, top power hitters, top speed, and top defensive outfielders in the state. Today, we look at the top-5 defensive catchers in the state's 2020 class.

Top Defensive Catchers

Fernando Gonzalez C / North Cobb Christain, GA / 2020

Rankings  StateRank: 11 / POS: 3 OverallRank: 208 / POS: 20

Georgia recruit. A native of Panama, Gonzalez should quickly become one of the fastest rising national catching prospects in the 2020 draft class. 5-foot-10, 165-pound right-handed hitter, compact build with lean strength. High-level defensive backstop. Possesses extremely soft hands, athletic feet and flexible hips; blocks well. Sticks pitches, steals strikes; overall framing abilities are advanced. Arm is strong and accurate with finish through the bag, consistent 1.95.2.10 pop times. Offensively, has a compact, balanced swing; generates easy bat speed and is strong at contact. Showed ability to hit to all fields. Lined a single back up the box; laced an outer-half fastball the other way, and has the hand speed to turn on the inner half. Runs well.

Alek Boychuk C / Mill Creek, GA / 2020

Rankings  StateRank: 7 / POS: 2 OverallRank: 163 / POS: 13

Boychuk is a well-traveled standout catcher from Mill Creek. Boychuk possesses a very strong frame and got off good swings at the plate all event. Defensively, he is more than capable and will be an asset at the next level. Boychuk’s ability to be a strong two-way catcher is what has him ranked as one of the top backstops in the state.

Joseph Salvo C / 3B / Buford, GA / 2020

Rankings  StateRank: 53 / POS: 7

Salvo is a compact, strong-bodied catching prospect, checking in at 5-foot-11, 185 pounds. He poses a strong accurate arm producing a positional velocity of 78 mph, but his agility and flexibility behind the plate also leads to an impressive 1.89 pop time. Salvo relies on good footwork and a quick transfer to execute these catch-and-throws. At the plate, he has a sound and balanced approach. Salvo loads his hands to shoulder height, getting the barrel to a good launch position, and shows solid gap-to-gap type power from there. His exit velocity was a consistent 86 mph off the tee. The Buford backstop’s actions are compact and sound on both sides of the ball. Salvo projects as a defense-first catching prospect with strong leadership qualities.

Ben Schorr C / Columbus, GA / 2020

Rankings  StateRank: 12 / POS: 4 OverallRank: 212 / POS: 21

Schorr has shown himself in the past to have solid right-handed power and the ability to handle himself at the plate.  He is committed to Auburn and has a chance to develop into a strong 2-way threat at the next level and beyond. Schorr is well-rounded and he might have the best combination of offense and defense amongst the catcher's ranked in Georgia.

Charlie Taylor C / OF / Wesleyan, GA / 2020

Rankings  StateRank: 35 / POS: 5

2020 Charlie Taylor (Georgia Jackets), a Tennessee University commit was a must watch every time he stepped into the batters box. In his first at-bat, he socked a single into left-field, displaying his bat speed and strength. He followed that up with a high drive to left field that came off the bat at 89 mph for a home run. It’s clear that the bat plays and he is a legit power threat in the right-handed batters box. 

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