Who Is The Newest Guardians Prospect Kody Huff?

Originally posted on FanNation Cleveland Baseball Insider
By Tommy Wild | Last updated 11/17/23

The Cal Quantrill era with the Cleveland Guardians is officially over as they traded him to the Colorado Rockies shortly after designating him for assignment. Cleveland received catching prospect Kody Huff in this straight swap.

Who is the newest member of the Guardians’ farm system and what impact could he have on the team?

Huff was drafted by the Rockies 206th overall in the 2022 draft. He spent last season at the Single-A level with the Fresno Grizzles and finished with a slash line of .262/357/.374 with an OPS of .731. These stats include 14 doubles, five home runs, and 36 RBI.

It appears that Huff has some pop in his game which is always welcome to get from a catcher.

Some work still needs to be done on the defensive end if he hopes to move up in the system. Huff caught 29 of 101 runners who attempted to steal on him last season. Base stealing is becoming much more prevalent with the rule changes and catchers need to adapt, too.

As for now, the Guardians have assigned Huff to the Single-A Lynchburg Hillcats.

Of course, Bo Naylor will be the primary for the Guardians next season. But the depth at the backstop position is thin outside of the younger Naylor brother.

Cleveland even picked up Christian Bethancourt off waivers from the Tampa Bay Rays in order to address this.

Time will tell if Huff turns into a key piece for the Guardians, but they address a position of need while letting go of a player who wasn’t in the team's future plans.

This article first appeared on FanNation Cleveland Baseball Insider and was syndicated with permission.

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