As we close out the 2023 season and players prepare for a new year and spring training to begin, there’s no better time to bring you an up-to-date look at Cleveland Baseball Insiders' top 50 prospects heading into the off-season.
Rankings are based on seeing the players live, watching videos, and having conversations with evaluators within and outside of the organization, as well as other writers.
While prospect lists are fun and entertaining for fans, they are not an end-all-be-all in terms of who makes it eventually to the major leagues. Remember, Jose Ramirez was never a top-100 prospect nationally and players like Steven Kwan and Will Brennan weren't considered top-20 prospects in the Guardians organization by many outside publications.
The ultimate goal here is to inform our readers and give you information on some of the young talent in the organization that they can follow and look forward to seeing in the future at the MLB level.
Victor Izturis - Catcher
The now 18-year-old catching prospect Victor Izturis received the second-highest bonus in the Guardians 2022 international class, signing for $1.15MM out of Barquisimeto, Venezuela. Only outfield prospect Jaison Chourio received more at 1.2MM in that same signing class.
Izturis made his professional debut in 2022 playing in 37 games in the Dominican Summer League where he hit .252 with a .389 OBP and 105 wRC+ covering 150 plate appearances.
Scouting Grades
Victor already has a very high baseball IQ for an 18-year-old just two years into his pro career thanks in large that he is the nephew of former MLB players Cesar and Maicer Izturis and trained at their Baseball Academy they run together in Venezuela.
Izturis has great instincts and terrific pitch recognition at the plate with the ability to draw a walk. He utilizes the whole field and likes to shoot the ball the other way if given the opportunity. His ability to handle the bat and reach any ball in the zone should lead to hitting for a higher average.
He may develop more power in the future as he matures but so far it hasn't shown up in his game. The lack of pop at the plate is really the only negative to a strong profile as a hitter moving forward.
Behind the plate on defense, he offers an average to above-average arm with soft hands. Izturis may add more arm strength as he continues to mature and fill out more. He shows athleticism as a catcher behind the plate but is just an average to below-average runner overall.
2023 Stats
Izturis spent the entire 2023 season playing in 33 games in the Arizona Complex League. On offense, he showed off his ability to get on-base posting a .389 OBP drawing 24 walks and a 16.1% walk rate.
He only produced three extra-base hits collecting two doubles and one home run. While he'll probably never be a big home run threat at just 18 there is time for him to add more strength and power at the plate as he continues to develop and grow.
Izturis likes to take the ball the opposite way with 53.1% of his base hits going to the left side of the diamond.
2024 and Future Outlook
For the upcoming 2024 season look for the Guardians to have Izturis begin the year at Low-A Lynchburg. Izturis should be able to handle the jump facing some more advanced pitching despite his young age and maintain a fairly high average and on-base percentage. The one thing to look for is any increased ability to drive the ball and produce more extra-base hits.
If Izturis continues to develop and gets stronger and adds more pop, he has the ceiling of an average to above-average everyday catcher with the ability to hit for a higher average and get on base at a high rate.
While he may never approach double-digit home run seasons if he can at least add some gap-to-gap power to his game along with his on-base skills could hit higher up in an order in the future.
His high baseball IQ already at such a young age and ability to control a game behind the plate as well as his bloodlines gives him a potential floor of at least an MLB backup at a premium position.
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