2026 Prospects Thread

[HawkandMariner88]

If Stevenson starts raking, what does that mean for his trajectory?

[D-train]

If Stevenson starts raking, what does that mean for his trajectory?

Great question. He has already started raking. He raked last season too. Since he was a college pick he isn't young....especially for A ball. He turns 22 yo in July. He should be promoted to AA in June and if Cal keeps hitting like he is he could be our new starting C by the end of the season. LOL JK

Cal will be 30 yo in November but won't be a FA until 2031 thanks to his extension. Luke could be ready to be a starting C by 2028. Will be interesting to see how it plays out...Cal moving to DH and BU C in a couple years in most likely scenario.

[Donn Beach]

Catcher Luke Stevenson is the early hitting star. Yep the pick that I questioned because he didn't hit great in college.

.435/.538/.739/1.287

Fellow Sox catcher Josh Caron also hitting well with a .855 OPS

Felnin struggling with just a .212/.714 line. I think he might be this decades' Carlos Truinfel.

I liked the Stevenson pick and it's looking more and more interesting. The deal is he's an elite catcher defensively, there's no question about moving him off the position. He hit for power in college. He's the kind of catcher that if he hits .220 with 20 homeruns he's an All Star. If he actually hits better than that they've hit the jackpot.

[Donn Beach]

it doesn't seem like the abs system has impacted pitch framing. You still need that sort of catcher. I really am interested how Stevenson develops. Maybe Cal gets moved to first

[Donn Beach]

Probably whats most interesting is the obp. Running a obp over. 400 indicates a guy that understands how to hit.

[D-train]

Catcher Luke Stevenson is the early hitting star. Yep the pick that I questioned because he didn't hit great in college.

.435/.538/.739/1.287

Fellow Sox catcher Josh Caron also hitting well with a .855 OPS

Felnin struggling with just a .212/.714 line. I think he might be this decades' Carlos Truinfel.

I liked the Stevenson pick and it's looking more and more interesting. The deal is he's an elite catcher defensively, there's no question about moving him off the position. He hit for power in college. He's the kind of catcher that if he hits .220 with 20 homeruns he's an All Star. If he actually hits better than that they've hit the jackpot.

Yep I remember you trying to talk me off the ledge which never works. lol

[D-train]

it doesn't seem like the abs system has impacted pitch framing. You still need that sort of catcher. I really am interested how Stevenson develops. Maybe Cal gets moved to first

Naylor will be paid $23M to play 1B in 2030 so that doesn't seem very likely.....That contract sure looks like hell in its early days...-0.7 WAR

[Donn Beach]

Seems to be a fair amount of bad luck involved with Naylors start, hopefully it turns around

Naylor's expected batting average (xBA) and expected wOBA (xwOBA) were significantly higher than his actual production, indicating he was hitting the ball well but not getting results.

Hard-Hit Rates: Despite the low average, his hard-hit rate remained solid, in line with his previous career marks

[GL_Storm]

How Stevenson fits and where Cal plays is a 2028 problem if all goes well, but more likely 2029. Naylor is only signed through 2030, which is his age 33 season. Maybe things get crowded for a year or two but I don't see a huge issue.

[Donn Beach]

How Stevenson fits and where Cal plays is a 2028 problem if all goes well, but more likely 2029. Naylor is only signed through 2030, which is his age 33 season. Maybe things get crowded for a year or two but I don't see a huge issue.

Yeah, it's the kind of problem you want to have. Heaven forbid they have too many sluggers