Rank History
| Year | Team | Position | Team Rank | OFP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | CLE | C | 37 | 40 |
Grades Update: Nov 2020
| OFP | Role | Hit | Power | Field | Arm | Run |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 40 | 40 | 40 | 45 | 60 | 45 | 30 |
Nov 2020 Report
Evaluator: Justin Lada
Age: 22 yr
Height: 6-0
Weight: 200 lbs
Hits/Throws: R/R
Acquired: 2018 Draft - Round 15
RuleV: 2021
Physical Description: Solid, compact frame but well built physically. Lavastida was a shortstop and third basemen in high school and converted to catcher in junior college. Good height and size for a converted catcher. Physical overall build with a strong upper body, arms, hands, and lower half.
Hit: Even stance and even base. Horizontal barrel. Moderate leg kick gives him a solid rotation. Very fluid hips and balanced swing. His hands are quiet getting into unload, letting his shoulders and hips carry his weight transfer. Lavastida gets his front foot down quick and gets his hips out well above his hands. Above-average bat speed. Good bat control and knowledge of the strike zone. Did not show major swing and miss concerns in 2018 and showed a disciplined and mature approach for a hitter drafted after one year of junior college. Grade: 40
Power: Very fluid mechanical swings. Lets his hips and shoulders work for him and uses strong hands to generate above average bat speed. There is some semblance of natural loft in his swing, keeping his hands above the barrel. Shows the ability to let the ball travel and drive the other way, and has shown good contact authority to his pull side as well. Grade: 45
Field: A better receiver than you would assume of a player who just started catching at the end of 2018 as an amateur. Athletic ability translates behind the plate. Needs to work to get down to block balls low and use his body. Will pull the glove back before pitch and look like he's reaching, but generally quiet receiving the ball, showing some ability to frame and not overcorrect. With a short track record of catching and a long way to go, it's hard to say definitively that he will end up as an average defensive receiver, despite how far he's come in a short time period. Grade: 30
Arm: 2.11 pop time. Good, quick transfer. Throws have a tendency to sail on him. Average arm strength, but accuracy is an issue. Did throw out 35% of runners in 2019. Grade: 45
Run: 4.45 home-to-first. Not plodding out of the box but doesn't pick up much speed. Comparing his speed to other catchers, his speed wouldn't be bottom of the scale and won't be a total base clogger but home to first and as a base runner it's below average. Grade: 30
Overall: Lavastida is a bat-first backstop right now with a lot of room to go developmentally. Having 2020 off was not a good situation for anyone, especially for Lavastida, who just converted to catching in junior college and has only caught in his JUCO season in 2018 and half of the season in 2019. He has an average arm and good athleticism behind the plate that makes you think there's a chance he can be an average defender. But because he's so new to the position and donning the tools of ignorance sets player development back longer than normal, there's a long way for him to go to get there at the moment. He was an infielder in high school and the bat could profile if he moved to second base, but it's a better fit at catcher. Player development is already not linear, but Lavastida specifically will probably have an even more arduous path to the majors, should he get there, even in a bat first backup catcher type role.
OFP: 40
Role: 40 - Below-Average Player: Bench / Platoon / Utility
Risk: Extreme
