Prospect Nation 2014: #24 Catcher Deivi Grullon

Deivi Grullon, Image- @BaseballBetsy

At the time of his signing with the Phillies in July, 2012, Dominican native Deivi Grullon was one of the top catching prospects in the Caribbean. After a year in the minors, the 17-year-old is looked at as an even more promising player.

Grullon, who signed for a reported $575,000, looked very good with the Gulf Coast League Phillies in 2013, posting a .273 batting average with eight doubles, a home run and 14 RBI in 41 games at the rookie level.

Two weeks after Grullon signed with the Phillies, his father, Simeon, a former catcher who was integral in helping Deivi develop as a player, was struck and killed by a motor vehicle while on his own motorcycle. The youngster has not let the tragedy impede his progress, as he's shown solid adaptability and great progress. He's already looked at as a potential impact prospect.

Grullon projects as a big league catcher, but is clearly very young and has a long way to go. Already possessing a filled out frame at 5-feet-11 180 pounds, Grullon has drawn comparisons to Phils backstop Carlos Ruiz. Grullon may not project to develop a considerable amount more power, but that's okay. If the Phillies know what they have to work with at a younger age, it could be better suited for his progress.

A righty batter, Grullon dominated left-handed hurlers, tallying a .462/500/.590 line against southpaws in the GCL. Improvements will need to be made against righty opposition, though, as Grullon's .183/.256/.256 production against right-handers was fairly alarming. A refined approach when faced with pitchers' counts, in general, is something scouts have cited as a standout quality for Grullon as well.

As a catcher, it is no surprise that Grullon would not project to contribute with his legs. Speed would certainly not be a brag-worthy aspect of this youngster's multifaceted game.

It's likely that Grullon, who spent time in the Florida Instructional League following the 2013 regular season, will begin his 2014 campaign in extended spring training, then join a short-season roster once they get rolling in June. However, time at Class A full-season Lakewood may not be too far in his future.

Grullon will turn 18 years old in mid-February, prior to the start of minor league spring training.

Comments

PhoulBallz Interview: Reading second baseman Jesmuel Valentin

Jesmuel Valentin, image- Jay Floyd Switch-hitting infielder Jesmuel Valentin has been a bit of an underrated contributor with the Double-A Reading Fightins. Heading into action on Friday, Valentin was batting .339 over his last 14 games. Overall this season, the 22-year-old is batting .282 with four home runs and 35 RBI in 64 games. Valentin, who plays mostly second base, but dabbles at shortstop a bit also, is the son of former big leaguer Jose Valentin . The Puerto Rico native was a supplementary round pick (51st overall) of the Dodgers in 2012. He was acquired by the Phils as part of the Roberto Hernandez trade in 2014. Recently, I spoke with Jesmuel about his team's success, growing up around the game and more. Read ahead for that full interview. -The Reading team has been great and you've contributed very nicely to the club's success. What are your thoughts on competition in the Eastern League this year? I just came here with the mindset that...

Catching prospect O'Hoppe tabbed to join Phillies

Logan O'Hoppe, image- Jay Floyd Please consider supporting my work and via my Patreon page . For a small monthly fee, your patronage will get you exclusive interviews and other prospect related material as well as early access to all of my other content such as this feature. Thank you. On Friday, the Phillies added a pair of catchers to their 2020 player pool. Minor leaguers Logan O'Hoppe (pronounced Oh-HOP-ee) and Henri Lartigue arrived in Philadelphia to help catch bullpen sessions for the team's collection of approximately 30 pitchers. The call to O'Hoppe was extremely welcome as the 20-year-old had been staying as active as he possibly could, working out with other players that have been been waiting out quarantine due to the current pandemic at his home on Long Island. However, he had been very eager to step back onto an actual baseball field. "I just hope I can play soon. Where ever that is or whatever form that is, that'd be aw...

Weekend Preview: Phillies at Yankees

The Phillies (22-17) head up to New York to take on the Yankees (24-17) in their new digs this weekend. It should be a fun Memorial Day weekend at the new Yankee Stadium. A record 75 homeruns have been hit at Yankee Stadium in the first 20 games there. The Phils haven't visited the Bronx since 2000. Read on for pitching match ups, game times, and plenty more notes. Friday, 7:05pm. Brett Myers (3-2, 4.50 ERA) vs. AJ Burnett (2-1, 5.02 ERA). Myers has had one career start against the Yankees. He won that game, in June 2006, by throwing 6 2/3 innings, striking out 11 and giving up just 2 earned runs. Myers is 3-0 on the road this season. Burnett has a 5-7 record in 16 career games against the Phils with a 4.57 ERA and 2 complete games. Burnett at home this season has no record in 4 starts, with a 4.15 ERA. Greg Dobbs is 4-for-6 in his career against Burnett with a double and 2 RBI. Matt Stairs is 2-for-8 off Burnett...both hits are homeruns . Saturday, 4:10pm. "Jay" Hap...

PhoulBallz.com

Search This Blog