Indians Top 50: #31 Matt McBride

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	Avg	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
2007	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
2008	23	Kinston	A+	17	67	9	12	2	0	0	6	7	9	0	.179	.263	.209	.472
2008	23	Lake County	A	11	39	6	12	4	0	1	7	5	5	0	.308	.386	.487	.873
2009	24	Kinston	A+	31	126	24	51	15	0	6	36	11	15	0	.405	.453	.667	1.120
2009	24	Akron	AA	98	361	48	89	29	0	12	63	18	42	1	.247	.301	.427	.728
		Totals		333	1255	192	356	106	3	33	218	101	152	10	.284	.350	.452	.802

History:  McBride was selected by the Indians in the 2nd round of the 2006 Draft out of Lehigh University.  He corrected a lingering shoulder issue that had plagued him since he was drafted with offseason surgery to his right labrum between the 2007 and 2008 seasons, and the recovery forced him to miss more than half of the 2008 season.  He had an unbelievable performance in the Arizona Fall League last fall where in 22 games he hit .378 with 4 HR, 18 RBI, and a 1.159 OPS.

Strengths & Opportunities:  McBride is a big strong athletic catcher who has good power, and has a very good eye and bat-to-ball ability.  During his rehab from surgery to his labrum he added a lot of strength and improved his physical makeup, and it showed last year as he piled up a lot of doubles and home runs.  He has proven to be a tough out for pitchers and consistently put the bat on the ball, as demonstrated by his career 8.3 at bat to strikeout ratio.  He has a lot of bat ability pull side as he can drive the ball into left field and the left center gap as well as anybody.

When healthy, McBride provides a rare combination of defense and offense at the catching position.  Before his shoulder surgery almost two years ago he was always viewed as one of the top catching prospects in the game.  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 for a catcher. He is a gamer who has excellent work ethic, and is sort of a throwback that hustles on every play and does not showboat.

Last offseason the Indians moved McBride out of the catching position and had him workout at first base and left field in order to preserve his throwing arm.  Since his surgery he had experienced some strength loss and pain in his arm, so in order to keep him healthy and his bat in the lineup he split time in 2009 at first base and the outfield.  He put a lot of work in during spring training getting a handle of the footwork needed at first base and the outfield, and proved to be adequate at both positions.  Near the end of the season his shoulder was pain free and was a lot stronger, so the Indians sent him out to the Arizona Fall League last fall to test out the arm at catcher and he did well.  He held his own behind the plate, and there was no pain involved with his throwing, so it looks like going into 2010 that his primary defensive position will be at catcher though he still may get some work in at first base and the outfield.

Getting McBride out from behind the plate last year to protect his ailing shoulder may have been the best decision the Indians could have made for him.  His success at the plate last season was a combination of good health and a simple approach where he just tried to be productive every at bat and stick to his plan.  The Indians have always known he could hit, so if he can prove he can catch again his value will increase substantially since it is a position of need because below Carlos Santana at Triple-A there is not much catching depth at all in the system.  Worst case, if he can't catch everyday, his ability to catch and play first base and left field is an asset to the Indians because it provides a lot of versatility for him.

McBride is often categorized as a dead-pull hitter as he has a tendency to want to pull everything and has trouble laying off inside pitches, so the Indians would like to him use the whole field better by working on hitting the ball more up the middle and driving the ball gap to gap.  To improve on this aspect they have had him work on letting the ball get a little bit deep on him and to work on staying back and driving the ball through the middle.  Also, 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 (101 BB in 1255 career AB).  On the defensive side, he has some issues with controlling a running game.  While he has a good arm, he is not fundamentally sound with his throws as he tends to be slow with his release and stands straight on his throws.  It all comes down to his arm and if it is strong enough to handle the everyday rigors of throwing at the catching position.

Outlook:  McBride had an outstanding comeback season last year.  He got off to a hot start at High-A Kinston and used that momentum he built there to finish the season with a solid showing at Double-A Akron.  The big concern going forward is whether or not he has a true position and if he can stick at catcher this coming season.  Also, there are some concerns that he just had a hot six week stretch in Kinston last year, and that the more ordinary numbers in Akron were more indicative of what kind of player he is.  In any case, he his ability to play catcher, first base and left field provides some much needed versatility in the upper levels of the Indians system.  He should open the 2010 season as the starting catcher at Double-A Akron.

Photo courtesy of Tony Lastoria

Matt McBride MinorLeagueBaseball.com page

Matt McBride Baseball-Reference page

Matt McBride MinorLeagueSplits.com page

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