Michael
Papierski

6/13/17 - Drafted in the 9th round out of LSU by the Houston Astros. 

5/31/14 - Papierski is a 6-foot-3, 190-pound switch-hitting catcher who has showcased power from both sides of the plate.  His first three at bats, all left handed, produced two walks and a fly out to right field on a good pitch to hit.  He shows advanced plate discipline and feel for the strike zone with an extremely patient approach.  Hitting .385 on the year with 6 home runs, 9 doubles, and 2 triples.  Has also walked 26 times for an incredible .525 OBP and an out of this world 1.250 OPS for all the sabermetric nerds out there like myself.  Both setups look identical, where he hits from an open stance with good rhythm getting back to square before he starts his swing.  I’ve only seen two games, but he looks to pull more left-handed, and looks to shoot up the middle from the right side.  I’ve seen more line drive plane in the right-handed swing, while the left-handed shows a little more loft/upper cut. Was extremely impressed early on with his two line-drive singles off Kyle Ostrowski’s upper 80’s velocity, while hitting from the right side.  On Saturday, his last at bat nearly broke the umpire’s knee cap, as he lined a ball that registered 96 mph off the bat past the pitcher up the middle.  Defensively, he has shown 1.9-2.0 pop times at past events.  On Saturday between innings it was more in the 2.1-2.3 range, and a few throws were off line.  Throws were in the 73-76 mph range, but there is definitely more in the tank there as he wasn’t cutting it loose.    He was not challenged in game, but his arm action is sound with a quick release.  His frame is a pitcher’s dream, as he provides a large, agile target to throw to.  Did a very good job picking up feet and getting over/down to block breaking balls in the dirt late in the count.  Hips show mobility to sit low and provide a good target, despite large frame.  Hands are soft receiving, does a good job of keeping wrist firm, sticking several curves and changes in the bottom half of the strike zone.  Seems to call his own game as well, and shows an advanced feel for setting up hitters (also nice to have Latz on auto-pilot).  Leadership intangibles show on the field as well, knows when to talk to his pitcher, and have not seen him press at the plate or try to do too much despite the obvious microscope he’s been playing under all season.

2/2/14 - Few players in the 2014 class has been in the limelight longer than Papierski, who was earmarked as a high-level prospect since his freshman year. Papierski fits the pro profile to the letter. At 6-foot-3, 215 pounds, he has the frame. He is a switch-hitter who has shown power potential and bat speed from both sides of the plate. And he has arm strength behind the plate. At the Super 60, Papierski squared up a few balls from both sides that were some of the best struck balls of the event. Defensively, he showed an accurate arm with pop times ranging between 1.90-2.00, with a velocity of 77 mph from the crouch. He also registered a top exit velocity of 89 mph and ran a 7.15 60.

1/22/12 Papierski is a 6-foot-3, 190-pound switch-hitting catcher who showcased power from both sides of the plate. Papierski’s rare ability to hit for power from both sides, coupled with his arm strength, should make him one of the most coveted catching prospects in the Midwest. His athletic frame is one that should fill out well in the coming years, which will only add to his offensive prowess. Papierski was especially impressive from the left side, where he demonstrated a quick, quiet and explosive path to the baseball. He has tremendous whip and torque, and he creates impressive loft and backspin carry after contact. Defensively, Papierski showcased extremely quick feet, delivering accurate throws on the bag with a top pop time of 1.98 while being clocked at 76 mph from the crouch.  Additionally, Papierski ran a 7.53 60.