University of Arizona catcher Daniel Susac is a foregone conclusion for the position. At 6’4″ and weighing 218 pounds, Susac could be considered a model backstop. Not only that, but he comes from a catcher’s family. His brother, Andrew Susac, spent six combined seasons in the big leagues. Though his brother never was a household name, Daniel could remedy that. He has the chops for it, picking up all-conference honours in the Pac-12 last year. Scouts have been very impressed with his ability to, among other things, play the position well. Let’s take a bit of a deeper dive and examine how this 21-year-old could impact the league.<\/p>\n
Regarding strengths, Daniel Susac has one big one: his arm. MLB.com<\/a> has him rated at 60\/80. Interestingly enough, he was their quarterback while in school at Jesuit High in Carmichael, California. All of this seems to have led to a conglomeration of arm strength. Admittedly, his overall defense does need a little work, but he appears to have a cannon strapped to his right shoulder. Pair this with the potential for a fielding percentage around .990, and you have an excellent combination.<\/p>\n Another major strength for Daniel Susac is in his bat. He rates at a 55 in both hitting and power right now, but his 2022 collegiate statistics are somewhat mind-boggling. Slashing .366\/.429\/.582 with an OPS of 1.012 is nothing to take lightly. He had 100 hits in a mere 64 games. His pop also showed through, as he launched 12 homers and 19 doubles. There were only 11 games where he didn’t have a hit. In the big leagues, catchers don’t very often hit for a high average, so Susac could be an exception. When paired with other catching prospects like Adley Rutschman and Shea Langeliers, that should excite any fan of the position.<\/p>\n Weakness-wise, Daniel Susac has the same one that plagues a lot of catchers. Namely, a lack of running prowess. His speed is rated at a 40 right now, and he did not steal a base in his entire collegiate career. However, saying that a catcher can’t run is like saying the sky is blue. It’s simply too easy. Another weakness is his inability to be patient at the plate. He has a strikeout percentage of over 19 and only walked 42 times in 125 college games. While this isn’t a major cause for alarm, coaches should be mindful of it. Once he learns a little more swing selectivity, Susac should be one of the more feared hitters in the game.<\/p>\n In terms of comparisons, Susac seems like current Chicago Cubs<\/a> catching star Willson Contreras. A big bat and a big arm have helped vault Contreras to the top of the backstop heap. Another comparison is the former San Francisco Giants’<\/a> great Buster Posey. He was another exception to the rule above. During his MVP season in 2012, he hit .336 with 178 hits and a 171 OPS+. Susac’s success in the big leagues will depend upon following Posey’s example of patience and a balanced offensive approach. If he does that, he should have a very dependable career.<\/p>\n Main Image<\/p>\nWeaknesses<\/h3>\n
Player Comparison<\/h3>\n