Diego Cartaya has quickly ascended prospect lists over the last year or two. Multiple scouting experts ranked the Dodgers catching prospect as a top 50 overall prospect. His offensive capabilities is what really has scouts, and the Dodgers, excited about the 20-year-old's future.
Over the weekend, Cartaya demonstrated why he's so well-regarded in scouting circles.
Cartaya's long ball at Camelback Ranch was off of left-handed reliever Robbie Erlin. Erlin is a MLB veteran who the Dodgers signed back in February to a minor league contract. Erlin has previously pitched for the Padres, Pirates, and Braves.
The young catcher's power display speaks to why FanGraphs and MLB.com have previously compared Cartaya to seven-time All-Star catcher, and fellow Venezuelan, Salvador Perez.
“The power, strikeouts, aggressive approach, frame, and arm strength are all reminiscent of Salvador Perez.”
In fact, Jim Callis of MLB.com thinks that Cartaya is ahead of where Perez was at this point in his career.
“Often compared to Salvador Perez because of his size and profile, Cartaya is a more advanced hitter than Perez was at his age…”
In his version of the top 100 MLB prospects, The Athletic's Keith Law ranked Cartaya 13th.
Last season, Cartaya slashed an impressive .298/.409/.614 in 31 games played for the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes (Single-A). Unfortunately, back and hamstring injuries prevented the promising prospect from consistently being in the lineup.
If he can stay healthy and continue to gain experience, the Dodgers could have yet another major league ready catcher by the end of next year.
More must-reads: