2024 Cleveland Guardians Prospect #47 C Bryan Lavastida

Lavastida had a breakout 2021 season but hasn't quite been able recapture that offensive success

Bryan Lavastida Bio

• Age (2024 season): 25

• Acquired: 2018 Draft (Round 15)

• 2023 Level: Double-A/Triple-A

• Height: 6’0

• Weight: 100

• Bats: Right

• Throws: Right

Bryan Lavastida 2023 Stats

• PA: 465

• AVG/OBP/SLG: .240/.341/.378

• 2B: 18

• HR: 12

• SB: 16/21

• K%/BB%: 18.3%/12% 

• wRC+: 84

Bryan Lavastida 2023 Scouting Grades

• Hit: 40

• Power: 40 

• Speed: 45

• Defense: 45

• Arm: 45

• Overall: 35

• Risk: Moderate

• ETA: 2022

Build & Background

Back in 2018, Cleveland grabbed Lavastida in the 15th round out of the JUCO ranks (Hillsborough Community College) in Florida. In college, Lavastida started out as infielder and moved to catching late, and Cleveland moved him behind the plate on a full time basis. He hit the ground running fast, literally hitting everything in 2019 and coming back in 2021 after the pandemic and had a true breakout season offensively. He made his debut in 2022 due to an injury to Luke Maile and a 40-man roster crunch early in the season before he was probably ready. Since going back to the minors when Maile got healthy in 2022, Lavastida has been unable to recreate that success. He did have a hamstring injury in 2022 that might have interrupted his season but he was healthy in 2023 and removed from the 40 man roster. Lavastida has always been a more athletically built backstop with strong forearms. 

What Lavastida Does Well

Oddly one of the better tools Lavastida has as a catcher are his legs. He’s not a burner but he runs well for a catcher and does boast some athleticism. Lavastida makes contact at a decently average rate and is patient enough to draw a walk with good control of the strike zone. He’s also shown the ability to be a decent framer behind the plate and blocker at times, even if he’s more fringe at both. Hitting wise, Lavastida likes to shoot the right-center gap with doubles when he’s at his best.

Where Lavastida Needs to Improve

Most of Lavastida’s tools right now are fringe-average at best, maybe save for his plate discipline and patience. While he does like to drive the ball to right-center, where some of his power is, he may let the ball travel too deep or push balls that he should pull more often. His arm and pop time are fringe, and his blocking and framing are just good enough to profile as backup tools,s and the framing ability may only matter so much longer. 

Key Stats

Lavastida had about a 43% pull rate at Double-A and Triple-A last year. During his breakout in 2021, his pull rates were between 46% and 50%. While he put the ball on the ground too often, he carried high BABIP’s in 2021 and hasn’t been able to recreate that since then. We may have to consider that his breakout was BABIP-fueled, but Cleveland did believe it enough to put him on the 40 man roster after 2021 anyway.

Intangibles

As far as catching goes, Lavastida being bilingual certainly is a plus skill to have that gives him value in terms of communication.

Future

Lavastida might have enough fringe defensive skills to profile as a third catcher on a 40-man roster once again. Chances are when he becomes a minor league free agent next year he’ll end up in a different organization to earn that chance. He could work enough walks and utilize his athleticism as a third catcher with some speed to make that work. At best it’s a backup/third-string profile unless he can rediscover his hitting prowess from 2021. 

Role

35 - Org depth catcher/third string catcher