You know, it figures.
The Washington Nationals have in their farm system no more than a handful of true position prospects, and of them, only two seem to be of the “can’t miss variety.”
One, Chris Marrero (.284-17-76) is the club’s first baseman of the future and will take his place in D.C. just as soon as he’s ready, probably in 2012.
But the other, catcher Derek Norris (.286-23-84), perhaps the better of the two, is being blocked in Washington by another young and talented catcher, Jesus Flores.
Norris, 20, has improved tremendously at the plate since his rookie season in the Gulf Coast League. Based on a full season, Norris has averaged over the past two years:
AB: 531
R: 96
H: 150
2B: 33
3B: 0
HR: 27
RBI: 98
SB: 13
BB: 122
K: 132
AVG: .286
OBP: .428
SLG: .478
Those are All-Star numbers at any level. Perhaps the most impressive statistic is Norris’ 122 walks and corresponding .428 on-base percentage.
He has power, patience, and good speed for a catcher.
Thebaseballcube.com has a scouting system that looks at a player’s abilities in four key areas—power, speed, contact, and patience—using a 0-100 scale. Here are Norris’ numbers with a similar major leaguer in parenthesis for comparison:
Power: 90 (Carlos Beltran: 90)
Speed: 61 (Alberto Gonzalez: 58)
Contact: 26 (Austin Kearns: 30)
Patience: 100 (Adam Dunn: 98)
There is little doubt that Norris will become a successful major leaguer, and at just 20 this year, will likely be seasoned and ready by the start of the 2012 season.
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