Jonah Heim - Scouting Report


Rank History
Year Team Position Team Rank OFP
2021 TEX C 14 45

Grades Update: Mar 2021
OFP Role Hit Power Field Arm Run
45 40 50 40 50 60 30

Mar 2021 Report

Evaluator: Justin Lada

Age: 26 yr
Height: 6-4
Weight: 220 lbs
Hits/Throws: S/R
Acquired: 2013 Round 4 (BAL)
RuleV: On 40-Man Roster

Physical Description: Long, thin build. Long legs and a long torso. Taller than your average backtop. Maxed out frame that should have more than enough bulk to handle the rigors of catching. Well defined arms.

Hit: Even stance and base with high hands tilted barrel. Not a lot of wasted movement in swing. Works the bat around, quick through the zone. Quick, adjustable hands. Strides closed and appears to cut himself from some extension in his swing. Some pull side power but better at driving the ball to the opposite field due to this. Has bat control and ability to adjust to velocity, breaking stuff and location with the bat. Should make plenty of solid contact. Repeats swing well from left side with same setup. Grade: 50

Power: Has the frame and strength for average raw power and is able to barrel balls. Closed stride and tendency to swing down or use a line drive swing limits power. Would need a bit of a swing change to create more loft in his swing or open his stance a little, which he had in the minors but has shifted since. Closed stride seems to help cut down on swing length and gets him more direct to the ball; helpful with having long levers. Would have above-average game power for a catcher with swing changes but below average in-game right now. Grade: 40

Field: Solid receiver. Catches everything around the plate. Sometimes will use long arms to attempt to grab pitches low and away rather than block. Long legs might prevent him from getting up quickly to get to potential wild pitches that run high. Appears to be better framing up and down in the zone instead of east and west. Doesn't really steal many strikes but won't cost any strikes with his receiving. Grade: 50

Arm: 1.97-2.02. Strong arm and slightly above average accuracy. Long legs don't appear to be an issue in his work to throw down to the bases. Keeps throws up. Grade: 60

Run: 4.35-4.42 from the left side to first. Not a strong runner. Doesn't have long strides despite long legs. Below to well below average speed either way. Grade: 30

Overall: Between the hit tool and defense, I strongly considered giving him a 50. I'm not sure he'll have the contact authority or power to make a ton of offensive impact outside of a decent average that might be BABIP dependent. He'll put up good at bats, draw some walks and won't strike out. A swing change to unlock more raw power that he might have could lead to more strikeouts with his long arms, so the trade off might be somewhat even. He'll provide value defensively and could be a fringe-average starter.

OFP: 45
Role: 40 - Below-Average Player: Bench or Platoon
Risk: Low