Adonys Guzman was highly visible on the high school showcase circuit last summer. The Brunswick (Conn.) High School prep catcher participated in all the significant events, displaying his robust toolset behind the plate to professional scouts.
Playing against exceptional high school talent all summer was an invaluable experience for Guzman. It allowed him to gain exposure and develop his skills in anticipation of this year’s MLB draft.
While he needs to improve his consistency offensively, scouts rave about his defensive attributes. Guzman is a potential second or third-round pick in July’s MLB draft.
“It’s every kid’s dream,” Guzman said. “Ever since I started playing baseball when I was 7 years old, my goal has been to be a professional baseball player. This is all a dream come true.”
Guzman is a premier defensive catcher. He is a defensive-first player with natural instincts and elite arm strength. He has clean transfers and regularly throws accurate line drives to the bases. Guzman also has above-average receiving and blocking skills for his age.
Scouts have no concerns about Guzman’s defensive skill set and believe he could develop into one of the top defensive catchers in pro ball.
“I’ve never really had a catching coach,” Guzman said. “It always has just been about taking reps to get better. I also like to take reps at shortstop because it helps with my footwork and hands.”
Guzman is a 5-foot-10, 212-pound right-handed hitter with an open stance and short and compact swing. The prep hitter has a line-drive approach and drives the baseball into the gaps. Due to his strength, Guzman shows the potential to hit for solid power in the future.
“I’m a gap-to-gap hitter with the ability to drive the ball,” Guzman said. “I can be inconsistent at times. That is one of my big areas of improvement. I want to be the person who can drive the ball gap to gap.”
The high school catching demographic is one of the riskiest demographics in the draft. Teams tend to prefer offensive-first prep catchers, but Guzman’s elite defensive skills could cause him to go early in this year’s draft.
If the draft doesn’t work out in Guzman’s favor, he will attend Boston College in the fall. His relationship with Boston College head coach Mike Gambino played a key factor in his college decision. He also respected the program’s success in developing talent for pro ball and the university’s strong academics.
“I committed there because of my relationship with coach Gambino,” Guzman said. “I also because of what they provide me outside of baseball. They are great academically, but they also are one of the top academic institutions. I felt like I could blossom there.”
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Dan Zielinski III has covered the MLB draft for seven years. He has interviewed 356 of the top draft prospects in that period, including four No. 1 overall picks. Multiple publications, including Baseball America, USA Today, MLB.com and The Arizona Republic, have quoted his work, while he has appeared on radio stations as a “MLB draft expert.” Follow him on Twitter @DanZielinski3.
