Meet new Red Sox minor league catcher Nate Baez

"The Red Sox just acquired him from the Twins organization in exchange for Triston Gray - whose entire tenure with the Red Sox lasted all of two months in the middle of the offseason, and who will not be the next Romy Gonzalez after all. Baez was known for his defensive versatility in college at Arizona State, where he played every single position except for shortstop, center field, and right field. In the pros he's split his time between catcher and first base."

"The best part of his offensive game is probably his patience and batting eye. At the time of his promotion to AA last year, he was rocking a 17.4% walk rate in the single-A Midwest league, which would have been the second-best walk rate in the league had he qualified. But some statistical inflation is to be expected with players who are old for their level, and that rate dropped down to 6.1% in AA."

"There isn't much of a scouting report on him as a catcher yet, as, frankly, he hasn't spent much time as a catcher. Since being drafted in 2022, he's started a grand total of 110 games behind the plate, after catching just 46 games at Arizona State. But he did throw out 14 of 47 would-be base-stealers at AA last season, which is a pretty solid return for someone who doesn't have much experience behind the plate."

Nate Baez from Oro Valley, Arizona was acquired by the Red Sox from the Twins for Triston Gray. He showed defensive versatility at Arizona State, playing every position except shortstop, center field, and right field, and has split pro time between catcher and first base. Baez reached Double-A in 2024 and hit .237/.297/.400 with five home runs in 51 games. His offense emphasizes patience and a strong batting eye, with a 17.4% walk rate in Single-A that dropped to 6.1% in Double-A. He has limited catching experience but threw out 14 of 47 attempted base-stealers in Double-A. He has 25 minor-league homers in 229 games and projects as an organizational catcher who might get a brief major-league opportunity.

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