Tyler Stephenson has been named as the 5th best catching prospect in baseball by MLB Pipeline this evening. Here is what Mike Rosenbaum had to say about Stephenson in the article:
Regarded by scouts as the top catcher available in the 2015 Draft, Stephenson, whom Cincinnati took 11th overall, flashed his upside on both sides of the ball last summer during an impressive pro debut in the Rookie-level Pioneer League. A 6-foot-4 right-handed hitter, his hit and power tools have the chance to be at least average, and he already displays an advanced approach. Defensively, Stephenson possesses a plus arm and moves well for his size, though he has a ways to go with his footwork and receiving.
The Cincinnati Reds took Stephenson 11th overall in the 2015 draft out of Kennesaw Mountain High School in Georgia and gave him third largest signing bonus in the history of the franchise (Aroldis Chapman and Raisel Iglesias topped his $3,131,600 signing bonus). The Reds sent the 18-year-old to play with the Billings Mustangs, where he saw the majority of the catching duties. At the plate he hit .268/.352/.361 to go along with 22 walks and 42 strikeouts in 219 plate appearances. He was one of four players in the league under the age of 19 to get at least 200 plate appearances.
Behind the plate he did have some struggles, which is pretty much the case for any teenage catcher. He made eight errors and had 13 passed balls in 46 games behind the plate. Stephenson threw out 25 attempted base stealers in 94 attempts (27%).
There were only two players on the Top 10 list who had no experience in full-season ball. The other player was Max Pentecost, who strangely enough was drafted 11th overall in the 2014 draft out of Kennesaw State University, in Kennesaw, Georgia. Pentecost didn’t play at all in 2015 after undergoing shoulder surgery.
MLB Pipeline has released lists for right handed pitchers, left handed pitcher and now catchers. The Cincinnati Reds have now landed at least one player on each list and have four total as they continue to show off their strong farm system.