Indians Top 100 Prospects: #29 Matt McBride

29. Matt McBride - Catcher
Born: 05/23/1985 - Height: 6'2" - Weight: 215 - Bats: Right - Throws: Right

Year	Age	Team	Lvl	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
2006	21	Mahoning Vy	A-	52	184	24	50	12	0	4	31	16	22	5	.272	.355	.402	.757
2007	22	Lake County	A	105	421	66	119	35	2	8	66	38	54	1	.283	.348	.432	.780
	22	Akron	AA	2	7	2	4	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	.571	.625	.857	1.482
2008	23	GCL Indians	R	17	50	13	19	7	1	2	9	6	5	3	.380	.483	.680	1.163
	23	Lake County	A	11	39	6	12	4	0	1	7	5	5	0	.308	.386	.487	.873
	23	Kinston	A+	17	67	9	12	2	0	0	6	7	9	0	.179	.263	.209	.472
		Career		204	768	120	216	62	3	15	119	72	95	9	.281	.356	.428	.784

History:  McBride was a 2nd round pick in the 2006 Draft out of Lehigh University.  Prior to the 2008 season he was recognized by Baseball America as the fifth best catching prospect in the minors. 

Strengths & Opportunities: McBride provides a rare combination of defense and offense at the catching position.  His strengths as a catcher are his catch-and-throw skills, especially his plus arm.  His throws to second base consistently time at 1.85 which is considered above average.  He also has a very cerebral approach behind the plate, and has shown good leadership qualities.  While he is a big and strong catcher, he is also athletic and runs very well. He is a gamer who has excellent work ethic, and is sort of a throwback that hustles on every play and does not showboat. 

McBride has good power potential, and has a very good eye and bat-to-ball ability.  He has added a lot of strength and improved his physical makeup over the last year.  In 584 at bats the last two seasons he has piled up 50 doubles which shows that as he matures he could be in line for a surge in the home run department as some of those doubles start turning into home runs.  Also, in his short career, he has demonstrated the ability to put the bat on the ball and spoil tough pitches (95 strikeouts in 768 at bats).   While he has shown very good ability to make consistent contact, he needs to be a little more patient at the plate to draw more walks (72 BB in 768 career AB).  He also needs to try and use the whole field more as he has a tendency to pull the ball and has trouble laying off inside pitches. 

McBride has had issues in the past with controlling the running game, which has been a result of him not being fundamentally sound with his feet, slow with his release and standing straight on his throws.  His real problem stemmed from a lingering shoulder injury since the Indians drafted him, one that forced him to start his Indians career at short-season Single-A Mahoning Valley in 2006 as a designated hitter because he was still struggling with the shoulder.  The ailing shoulder still bothered him after the 2007 season, so he had surgery to repair his right labrum in November 2007 and the rehab and recovery time from the injury forced him to miss half the 2008 season.  He came back mid-way through the season, but he ended up barely catching and just got in the lineup as the designated hitter because the Indians felt his arm was not 100% and that he still lacked enough strength in his throwing shoulder to be able to throw. 

Farm Director Ross Atkins approached McBride this offseason just before Instructional League started back in September about a move to the outfield.  He was very receptive to the move and split time in Instructional League in the outfield and at catcher, and then went out to play in the Hawaii Winter League and exclusively played in the outfield.  The Indians have not given up on him as a catcher though, as the move to the outfield was more a way to help him in his rehab from labrum surgery and also to give him some more versatility to play elsewhere in the field.  With catching prospects Carlos Santana, Wyatt Toregas, and Chris Gimenez above him in Double-A Akron and Triple-A Columbus, some experimentation in the outfield is necessary to see if he could play somewhere else in the field.  He should catch in 2009, but could get some time in the outfield as well to continue his development, which to date the organization has been pleased with what they have seen out there. 

Outlook: There is no doubt McBride can hit.  The question now is if his shoulder issues are behind him and he can get back to catching where he is most valuable.  He has a lot of potential as a hitter and being able to hit is what is ultimately going to punch his ticket to the major leagues.  McBride should open the 2009 season as the starting catcher at advanced Single-A Kinston, although there is an outside chance he could open the season in the outfield at Double-A Akron if they push him to the next level and make a more permanent position change to the outfield. 

Photo courtesy of Ken Carr 

Matt McBride MinorLeagueBaseball.com stats page 

Matt McBride Baseball-Reference page 

Matt McBride MinorLeagueSplits.com page 

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