Surprise, Arizona —— At the top of this post, watch one of our scouting videos of Texas Rangers catching prospect Jose Trevino, a compilation of some of his behind-the-plate skills as a defensive catcher taken during 2016 when he played in the California League while a member of the High Desert Mavericks, and in the Arizona Fall League as a member of the Surprise Saguaros.
Jose Trevino scouting report
After seeing him more than 50 times in 2016, there are few guys I’m higher on than Texas Rangers catching prospect Jose Trevino.
He can more than hold his own at the plate, as we’ve discussed today, but it’s his work behind the plate that really sets him apart: it’s all good for Trevino, who’s a converted infielder with soft hands, an exceptional feel for pitch framing, phenomenal concentration pitch to pitch, good spatial awareness and fundamentals when it comes to moving and blocking behind the dish, a great sense of how to call pitches, and a cannon for an arm that he’s not afraid to show off to bases. (Good enough for ya?)
You’ll see it in the videos below, but Trevino’s snap throws from his knees are fun to watch develop, and his footwork on gunning down would-be base stealers is both fundamentally sound and above-average in quickness. He’s fiercely competitive behind the plate and fits perfectly there as the type of player who wants to be involved in every single big defensive moment of every game. Watching catchers come and go through the entire Cal League and AFL seasons in 2016, there’s not one I’d trust more in a big situation than Trevino, who has this uncanny ability to both (a) throw behind runners and shut down would-be base stealers, and (b) not make ill-advised throws or unnecessarily put his pitcher in risky situations.
Above all that, though, is Trevino’s ability to lead from behind the plate. He’s a natural there, with an exceptional work ethic and no ego or attitude problems. He’s won everywhere he’s been thus far in his career, and that’s not by dumb luck. Teammates absolutely rave about him; Rangers RHP prospect Collin Wiles called Jose the best in-game catcher he’s ever seen, which is high praise considering Wiles has now been in the system going on six years. I touch on this a good bit in our hitter’s scouting report of Trevino, but it deserves to be said again: he’s a winner, he gets the most out of his ability and the talents of those around him, and he’s ripe for a big-time breakout in 2017 even after having such a solid all-around season last summer.
Don’t put a Yadier Molina comparison on Trevino—being compared to Yadi isn’t not fair to him, or anyone—but the general sentiment is right: be very high on Jose Trevino, because he’s going to make Rangers fans very happy for a long time to come. I think he’s due for a significant big league career, be it as an everyday catcher for several years’ time, or at the least, an above-average platoon option in a quality two-catcher system (something like what the Colorado Rockies seem to be hoping to do with Tom Murphy, when he gets healthy, and Tony Wolters).
Put differently: I tried to figure out how many minor league catchers I watched play in 2016 alone; it’s definitely more than 50, if not a handful more even than that.
By far, Jose Trevino was the best of ’em all.
For our Jose Trevino hitter scouting report, click here.
For our longform feature on Jose Trevino, click here.
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Jose Trevino scouting report, catching: 140 characters or less
I watched dozens of minor league catchers in 2016. By far, Jose Trevino was the best of ’em all.
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Jose Trevino scouting report videos
Below, enjoy a ton of Jose Trevino catcher video from his work in the Cal League and the AFL in 2016: blocking, framing, and throwing:
For more video on Trevino and every other prospect we’ve covered, please subscribe to the Baseball Census channel on YouTube. This coming season alone, we’re expecting to upload videos of more than 500 baseball prospects.
Jose Trevino scouting report GIFs
Just as we did with videos, we’ve compiled nearly 100 different Jose Trevino GIFs, showcasing the prospect hitting, as well as blocking, framing, and receiving behind the plate. A sample of those GIFs are here:
If you want more GIFs of Jose Trevino and hundreds of other baseball prospects, we invite you to follow the Baseball Census Giphy channel. Just as with our YouTube channel, we’ll be uploading hundreds of GIFs throughout the summer season.
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In this Jose Trevino scouting report:
California League | Texas Rangers | High Desert Mavericks | Frisco RoughRiders | Surprise Saguaros | Jose Trevino
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