With the 23rd overall pick in the 2018 draft, the New York Yankees selected the talented switch hitting catcher, Anthony Seigler. Seigler was high on a lot of draft boards, and was an intriguing prospect in a number of ways. One of the main things that stood out about Seigler was the fact that he was a switch hitting catcher and a switch pitching pitcher. Yes, you read that sentence correctly. Seigler could throw from both sides with a fastball that could touch the upper 80s. The New York Yankees loved Seigler’s athleticism for the catcher position. In watching him in high school, Seigler displayed the ability to field balls in the dirt and had a quick trigger arm that could nail runners on the base path. Seigler looked to be a guy that the Yankees could groom to be their catcher of the future assuming the day will come where Gary Sanchez moves off the position. However, Seigler has hit a few speed bumps in his first couple of years with the organization.
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Bumpy Road
One of the things that the New York Yankees scouts wanted to see from Seigler in his first couple of years, is for him to gain strength and make more consistent contact at the plate. In his first year, Seigler didn’t show a lot of pop, but he did look solid in his 24 games that he played in. He had a batting average that sat in the mid-200s and an OBP that was closer to 400. Seigler’s lack of speed in his swing did cause him to ground out a lot, but there was definitely promise. He was rated as the second-best position prospect the Yankees had before last year, but he has dropped off quite a bit. Seigler has been hit with the Yankees injury bug and only played 30 games last year. In those 30 games, Seigler was not very impressive. He didn’t hit one ball out of the park and he had a batting average of .175. Now, injuries could have played a big role in his numbers last year, but it is definitely something that gave scouts pause. Seigler dropped to the fifteenth ranked prospect in the system due to his lack of performance and continuous injuries through his first couple of years in the minors.
Something to Prove
Now, I think there are a lot of positives about Seigler, he just needs to stay healthy. He needs to show the Yankees front office that he is capable of driving the ball more consistently. Again, the power numbers are something that the Yankees love to pay attention too and Seigler just does not drive the ball. He has one home run in 54 minor league games. As alluded to above, a lot of that has to do with his lack of bat speed causing him to be late on a lot of pitches. If Seigler can improve his bat speed and add a little strength, he could be the game changer the Yankees envisioned when they drafted him. A switch hitting catcher who plays really good defense and has decent pop. Whenever the season starts, I want to see more consistent hitting from Seigler. I want to see him drive the ball through the air and not just drive it into the ground. Another thing is I want to see him go through the season and stay healthy. We’ve seen many prospects derailed due to their inability to stay healthy. I still think Anthony Seigler is a really good prospect, he just has a lot to prove to the Yankees.