Cleveland Indians: Top 30 Prospects Countdown, 26-30

No. 29: Bryan Lavastida

There’s only two catchers on the Top 30 list for the Cleveland Indians, Bo Naylor and Bryan Lavastida (Sorry, spoiler alert). While Naylor is known among majority of fans, Lavastida is a newer name. A 15th round selection by the Tribe during the 2018 MLB Draft, the 22-year old backstop as been with the organization for two seasons now.

Well, we should say two seasons played with him seeing action during the 2018 and 2019 seasons. In total, he’s played 92 games in the minors, getting up to Lake County at Single-A one game while most his time was with Mahoning Valley. However, despite playing in over 90 games, he’s caught in just 64 while being a designated hitter as well.

When he has been in the field, Lavastida has a .986 fielding percentage, which isn’t awful but by the Indians’ catcher standards, it’s not what we’re used to. Nine errors isn’t exactly what you want in a catcher. Luckily, his bat is promising and plays a large part in why he’s on this list.

Over 332 at-bats, Lavastida has been able to slash .319/.412/.440 in the minors along with 23 doubles, four triples, three home runs and eight stolen bases while drawing 48 walks. If those numbers stay consistent as he makes his way up through the minors, that would be a tremendous addition to the batting order. His ability to hit for contact with occasion power plus speed on the base paths is rare for a catcher. Now, his glove just has to catch up or he has to find a different position.