June 9, 2022

     The 22 year old catcher, Gabriel Moreno, is awaiting his debut in the majors after being called up on Wednesday. In AAA ball with the Buffalo Bisons, Moreno hit .310 with a .361 OBP and a .404 Slugging Percentage. While young, he has shown he is a mature hitter. He has only struck out 114 times in 860 At Bats in the Minors. His power numbers have dropped this year in AAA, with only 1 homer in 150 at bats. Given his time in AA, his power numbers should pick up again. He hit 8 bombs in 145 At Bats there. He has never had more than 307 At Bats in a season, his most being at High A in 2019. This does not mean he has an extensive injury history however, which his only trip to the injured list being in 2021 because of a broken finger that caused him to miss a big chunk of the season. Moreno has big potential, ranked the #4 prospect by MLB.com. Will he reach that potential?

     Moreno has a surprising amount of speed for a catcher. He has 3 stolen bases already to start the year. He had 7 in 2019, which as mentioned before was his closest thing to a full year of output. His biggest attribute is definitely his bat. He has hit .310 overall in the Minors, which is impressive considering how young he is. While he is not necessarily a walk machine, he does draw a respectable number of walks, showing he is not just a free swinger that could struggle at the next level with plate discipline. He has a pretty good arm behind the plate as well. His skills should be able to translate to the MLB well, though a prospect this young always runs a risk of needing to be sent back down for more seasoning. The Blue Jays certainly have enough catching to be fine with demoting him. In order to stay with the Jays, he will have to prove himself very quickly, as Danny Jansen recovers on the IL. 

    In a deep pool of catching prospects, Moreno is still ranked #2 among them according to MLB.com. This surely means he’s no slouch. He probably won’t be an immediate All Star or anything, but he will likely at least be a solid contributor. I don’t expect him to be hitting under the Mendoza line (below .200), and if he does, I don’t expect he would for long. I also certainly don’t see him being a top catcher in the game immediately. This year, expect a .240 to .250 average with some pop if he in fact stays for more than a few games. However, it is definitely a possibility that he would be sent down with Jansen’s return possibly imminent. Let’s hope he is in the lineup on Friday to make his much anticipated debut. Of course, best of luck to Moreno on his debut and the rest of his career.