Kody Clawson | June 2nd, 2019
Shea Langeliers, C, Baylor
Height: 6’0″
Weight: 190
Age: 21
Bats: R
Throws: R
Scouting grades (according to mlb.com): Hit: 50, Power: 50, Run: 40, Arm: 70, Field: 60, Overall: 55
Shea Langeliers is a catcher out of Keller High School in Texas. He was originally drafted out of high school in 2016 by the Toronto Blue Jays, but decided to follow his commitment to Baylor University. Langeliers played behind potential number one overall pick Adley Rutschman on the United States collegiate national team last summer. While he’s not quite the same prospect Rutschman is, he’s still a complete catching prospect, a super-talented defense-first catcher that could still be at least an average hitter if not more.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGJkRAsXMuk]
Strengths:
Defense-first is no knock on his game, but just shows the level of defender he is. His arm is his best tool, an absolute cannon that is supported by his 1.8-second pop time IN GAME. Athletic enough to stick behind the plate consistently, he’s a natural leader who has had a solid rapport with his pitching staff throughout his time at Baylor. He’s an excellent receiver behind the plate, showing agility and athleticism from the position. He’s also an excellent pitch framer, constantly stealing strikes.
His bat is no joke, either. The swing is simple, short, and clean, demonstrating an ability to maintain high contact rates in the majors. He shows selectivity on his pitches (sometimes maybe too selective), meaning he should maintain decent walk rates as well. His large frame and ability to pull on pitches he likes suggests potential plus power. If he can put these tools together, he can be at least an average major league hitter while also being a plus defender, the complete package for a catching prospect.
Weaknesses:
While athletic for a catcher, he is not a plus runner, although he shouldn’t be a liability on the basepaths like you would consider for most players at the position. He did break his hamate bone during his college career, which sapped his power for a bit even after returning from the injury (not uncommon for hamate bone injuries), so it will be interesting to see if he can fully return to his previous power projection, although he seems to be already well on his way to doing just that.
Overview:
It’s not often we get one complete catching prospect in a draft, much less two. Still, there aren’t many holes in Langeliers’ game, and while he’s not quite the prospect Rutschman is, he’s still a quality catching prospect that teams in need should consider in the middle of the first round. He might have really pushed himself up draft boards with this ridiculous performance.
Draft Prediction: Round 1, Pick 15 – Los Angeles Angels
The Angels have Lucroy in the majors, but he’s a one-year stopgap solution. The Angels don’t really have any exciting options at catcher in their minor league system and could use some punch there. He’s gone middle of the first round in almost every mock draft I’ve seen, and this feels like a perfect fit if he falls to here.
Check out our other Draft Previews:
Andrew Vaughn | Will Wilson | Jackson Rutledge | Hunter Bishop | JJ Bleday | Kameron Misner | Logan Davidson| Seth Johnson | Bobby Witt Jr. | Josh Jung|Adley Rutschman |Daniel Espino|Nick Lodolo|Kody Hoese| Matthew Allan|C.J. Abrams| Riley Greene|Corbin Carroll|Bryson Stott
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