Prep Baseball Report

Become a Member

More +

The Four Most Promising Catchers in Pennsylvania

December 22, 2012

By Greg Williams
PA Director of Scouting

We have spent the past week looking at each position on the field and will finish today with the catchers. Pennsylvania currently has a deep field of talented catchers and it was difficult to pick what we feel to be the best four of the group.

The talent at this position in the Class of 2014 is especially deep and was made even deeper with the transfer of No. 16 ranked Willie Burger to Lancaster Catholic HS from Connecticut. The PA Pre-Season All-State Showcase in February and the PA Top Prospect Games in June will bring many of these catchers toghether at the same time and location. It should be very interesting to watch this class of catchers moving forward.

Today we look at the four most promising catchers in Pennsylvania. The "12 Days of Christmas" series will wrap up with a look at three prospects who affect the game with their speed tomorrow, two future prospects from the Class of 2016 on Christmas Eve and a New Years' wish on Christmas Day.

  1. Chris MelilloChris Melillo, Class of 2013, LaSalle College Prep

    Melillo is a 6-foot-1, 205-pound power hitting catcher who has yet to be a starting catcher in high school. That should all change this spring. Melillo has played 1B, a spot he will likely see time at in college as well, while 2012 Philadelphia Catholic League MVP Corey Baiada was behind the plate. With Baiada moving on to Bloomsburg University Melillo will get his opporunity to catch this spring. Melillo has consistently shown 1.95 pop times in travel baseball on throws of 80 mph from the crouch. The Notre Dame recruit is ranked No. 3 in PA and No. 44 in the PBR combined rankings in the Class of 2013.

  2. Dylan Evert, Class of 2014, Bristol HS

    Evert is a 5-foot-11, 190-pound prospect who has shown consistent pop times of 1.95-2.00. His 86 mph arm across the infield is evidence of the type of arm he has. He is a quality athlete who runs a 7.28 60-yard dash. Evert is ranked No. 10 in PA and No. 79 in the PBR combined rankings in the Class of 2014.

  3. Ryan Sloniger, Class of 2015, Punxsutawney HS

    Sloniger is a 5-foot-10, 175-pound prospect who has shown the potential to be a quality left-handed hitter at the next level. Sloniger has shown consistent pop times of 2.00-2.05 on throws of 78 mph from the crouch. He hails from Punxsutawney which has already produced two MLB catchers. Sloniger is ranked No. 7 in PA and No. 53 in the PBR combined rankings in the Class of 2015.

  4. Mac McCafferty, Class of 2013, Lancaster Catholic HS

    McCafferty is a 6-foot2, 205 poung left-handed swinging catcher who shows promise as a hitter, but has plus abilities behind the plate. McCafferty has shown consistent throws of 81 mph from the crouch and pop times of 1.95-2.00. The Longwood University recruit is ranked No. 27 in the PA Class of 2013.

    Other Catchers of Note:

    Stephen Robinson, Class of 2013, Malvern Prep - Penn State recruit ranked No. 28 in PA.

    CLICK HERE to read about the talented catchers in the Class of 2014..                      

    Ryan Calhoun, Class of 2015, Germantown Academy - No. 12 in PA/ No. 79 in combined rankings. Willie Burger, Class of 2015, Lancaster Catholic HS - transfer from Connecticut - No. 13 in PA.

Past 12 Days of Christmas Articles: