With their third pick in the 2011 MLB Draft the San Francisco Giants have chosen catcher Andrew Susac out of Oregon State with the 86th overall pick. The Giants and their affiliates have a number of good catchers in their system, most notably guys like Buster Posey and Chris Stewart, but Susac has a good swing with some raw power that make him a better hitting candidate than most of the catchers in the farm system right now. Let's take a closer look at some of the catchers Susac will join in the minor leagues with the Giants:
- Mike Murray: .319 BA 2 HR, 8 RBI in 2010
- Daniel Burkhart: .217, 1 RBI, 46 AB
- Jeff Arnold: .218 BA, 3 HR, 12 RBI, 147 AB
- Jesus Navarro: .083 BA, 1 RBI, 12 AB
- Tommy Joseph: .237 BA, 5 HR, 31 RBI, 215 AB
- Hector Sanchez: .301 BA, 8 HR, 46 RBI, 176 AB
- Alex Burg: .429 AVG, 4 RBI, 14 AB
- Aaron Lowenstein: .224 BA, 3 RBI, 56 AB
Jackson Williams: .188 BA, 1 HR, 10 RBI, 85 AB
Chris Stewart: .221, 10 RBI, 95 AB (current with Giants)
- Buster Posey
- Eli Whiteside
There are a few players that Susac will have competition with, but many of the players in the lower class minor league teams aren't hitting for much power. There have been some questions as to how well Susac can be as an everyday catcher with discerning opinions about his glove skills floating around in different scouting reports. However, the Giants brass has a good eye for talent and feel that they got one of the best catchers in the draft this year.
We'll be here for the next three days covering the 2011 MLB Draft. For more in-depth discussion about the Giants head to McCovey Chronicles. For more general minor league and draft discussion, check out Minor League Ball and Baseball Nation.