
Los Angeles, CA — One look at the Dodgers’ #1 prospect, catcher Diego Cartaya, as he works behind the plate and you think of 7 time All Star and fellow Venezuelan, Salvador Perez of the Kansas City Royals. At 6-foot-3 and 219 lb., he is a solid presence behind the plate or at bat.
After signing a FA contract at the age of 16 in 2018 for $2.5 million, he made his U.S. debut at age 17 in 2019 and excelled as a 19-year-old in Low-A last summer, batting .298/.409/.614 in 31 games. When I saw him play at Rancho Cucamonga a few weeks ago, he showed amazing maturity and presence behind the plate. He has soft hands and a strong arm.
His pitch recognition when batting is outstanding for his age and the Dodgers have to be excited over his steady progression over the past two and a half years. He has a high ceiling and could be in the major leagues sooner than expected.
Though he still needs to work on his mechanics a bit behind the plate with throwing runners out and blocking balls in the dirt, those are minor things that Dodger player development coaches can and will correct easily.
The only problem for Los Angeles is what do they do with Star catcher Will Smith and backup Austin Barnes? Barnes is batting .158 with 4 HR right now but is a favorite receiver for Clayton Kershaw and some of the other starters. My guess is if Cartaya continues to prove that he was a wise investment for them, Barnes will have a new uniform some where in baseball soon.
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