![]() ![]() He’s a well-rounded offensive player and a high-probability big league regular. But most importantly, Busch really hits, and is probably an everyday player even if he ends up mostly playing left field. Busch played the keystone for an extended stretch on the Cape in 2018 but spent his career at North Carolina playing mostly first base and some corner outfield, and those are the two positions pro scouts think he’ll move to if second doesn’t work out. Scouts who have had an extended look at him think he could eventually be passable at second base, but definitely not good, much like Tommy La Stella. He can get extended on pitches out away from him and drive them into the opposite field gap, and has the power to do damage that way, and he can move the bat head all over the strike zone. His hands work with natural lift, but Busch keeps their path short and on time, and he can move the barrel all over the zone. Busch’s swing is simple but still athletic and explosive. 267/.386/.484 line at Double-A Tulsa in 2021, his first full year at an affiliate. The strong-bodied Busch has never done anything but hit, amassing a. While his ultimate role still feels fuzzy, there’s just too much stuff here for Miller not to be an impact arm, and while his delivery scared away some teams on the amateur side, he hasn’t had any arm issues and was holding velo deep into games at Louisville. While Miller still seems to throw the occasional curveball (he lacked feel for it in college), that pitch may be re-emphasized as a way of stealing strike one as he’s asked to go deeper in games, especially if he continues to pitch with fringe command. His slider command has been mediocre to start the 2022 regular season. And while his delivery isn’t as noisy as it was in college, Miller still has a pretty long arm swing and a bit of a head whack. For one, Miller’s fastball fails to perform as well as that velo suggests it should because it features shape and break similar to that of Sixto Sánchez‘s heater and because Miller lacks precise command of it, instead bullying hitters in the zone. While he clearly has a starter’s repertoire, there are some qualities that create relief (or at least pitch-inefficiency) risk here. He was outstanding during 2021 instructs and in the spring of ’22, often sitting 97-101 mph while bending in a plus (or better) slider. While he frequently started games, he got to four or more innings in just five of 17 starts while exceeding 60 pitches just six times. He pro debut was wonderful on a rate basis, but it was also interrupted by an oblique strain and clouded by some extreme conservatism as to his workload. He was a physical pitcher who threw hard and threw strikes, but a lack of certainty as to his future role saw him slide towards the bottom of the first round. Miller presented a bit of a conundrum to teams heading into the 2020 draft. There’s extreme variance here because we’re talking about a very young catcher, one who hasn’t played all that much yet, but Cartaya has the ability to be a star. ![]() The power, strikeouts, aggressive approach, frame, and arm strength are all reminiscent of Salvador Perez. He seemed to have a better idea of the strike zone in 2021, though Low-A West pitching was quite bad. His batting stance looks similar to that of the departed Keibert Ruiz, and is quite compact despite Cartaya’s lever length, enabling him to impact balls out in front of the plate to his pull side. Cartaya is also a balanced, explosive hitter with feel for hitting the ball in the air. He’s out of his crouch fast and in one fell swoop, he unfurls, releases, and then folds forward, bent at the waist, as the ball sizzles on a line to the base. For such a large backstop, his exchange is very quick and remarkably consistent. He has run-stopping arm strength and accuracy, and is not afraid to backpick runners, which is rare for a catcher this age, especially when the infielders are typically not reliable recipients of such lasers. While the recurring injuries are somewhat worrying - and while it’s fair to wonder whether Cartaya would produce at anything close to his 2021 output (.298/.409/.614) if he were catching for a whole, grueling season, or playing in a more neutral run environment - he is very gifted in all facets of baseball and has an All-Star ceiling. When healthy, he hit 10 homers in those 31 games and his receiving was better than it had been the two years before. Cartaya only suited up for 31 games in 2021 due to multiple back injuries and a strained hamstring. ![]()
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