Jump to content

Check out this write up of Heim, Could he be one of our catchers in 2017?

higgybaby

By higgybaby
in Orioles Talk

Recommended Posts

higgybaby Major Leaguer Cup of Coffee

higgybaby

Posted
Posted

"Last year, Heim the center of attention in the O?s minor league system when he drew rave reviews from big league manager Buck Showalter before spring training. The organization, and pitchers especially, speak highly of Heim?s defensive skills behind the plate, and rightfully so. Heim is one of the better defensive catching prospects in all of the Carolina League, featuring a potential plus glove and plus arm combination.

Behind the plate, Heim is a big but quiet target. He has soft hands when receiving but a strong wrist, when pitch framing. His quick-twitch ability allows him to make subtle movements left or right and move pitches from small increments out of the zone to in inside the zone. He has plus lateral agility and has shown the ability to deaden and block balls in the dirt. Heim is a very intelligent game caller and always is on the same page as his pitcher. When throwing out runners, he routinely pops in the low 1.9s (major league average is 2.0) and his athletic ability allows him to get out of the crouch quickly and get to his phenomenally sound footwork. The one fault of Heim has been when pitchers are slow to the plate, he tends to rush his footwork and his accuracy on his throws can be hindered, but that?s an easy fix.

Heim is a tall, projectable body with long limbs, but his swing is short to the ball. He features loose, easy hands with above-average bat speed from both sides of the plate, and the slight lift in his swing and the ability to square pitches makes him an intriguing two-way prospect. In BP, he shows the ability to backspin the ball to both gaps. With good strength added to his frame, there is a chance Heim?s game power could eventually play to a 40 grade. His approach is presently aggressive, and he will expand the strike zone below the knees, but he has a natural feel for making hard contact and has shown the ability to turn on premium velocity. With Heim?s defensively ability, it is likely he could reach the majors as a defense first backup catcher but with some added strength and development in approach, there is a chance Heim could be a major league regular. ?" C.J. Wittmann

http://2080baseball.com/spotlight/jonah-heim/

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • Replies 30
  • Created
  • Last Reply
Aristotelian Hangout Grand Counsel

Aristotelian

Posted
Posted
I think it's not a trade worth getting upset about, however I wouldn't have made the trade personally. I don't see what Pearce brought to the team.

Pearce was mashing vs LHPs and would have been the perfect guy to PH against Liriano in the spot that Buck used Reimold. Of course he was a major risk and it didn't work out.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
spiritof66 Hangout Grand Counsel

spiritof66

Posted
Posted

This thread reminds me of a point I was going to make in a Wieters thread. If we don't retain Wieters and don't sign another veteran, we can expect to be very weak offensively at that position (even if Heim were to be retrieved from TB). That should mean more pinch-hitting opportunities. Whether Buck will pinch-hit for his catchers remains to be seen.

But the possibility of a larger role for pinch-hitters and the need to upgrade our PHing capacity, especially if Kim is playing regularly and Pedro is gone, is something that should be considered in putting together the roster. It may provide an opportunity for Walker or others to get more ABs, but also may limit our ability to carry defensive caddies who have speed but won't hit (like Stubbs) and put more value on guys who can do both but shouldn't be everyday players (like Bourn, sort of).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing


×
×
  • Create New...