Mets Expected to Sign Big Money Catcher in 2023 IFA Period
Francisco Álvarez and Daiverson Gutierrez
According to Baseball America, the Mets are expected to sign one of the top catchers in the 2023 international free agent signing period that begins on Jan. 15. The catcher is Daiverson Gutierrez from Venezuela.
Baseball America says that Gutierrez is expected to get the 19th highest bonus of the 2023 IFA class.
Here’s the scouting report from BA:
He’s an advanced hitter for his age with a mix of both pure hitting ability and power. His swing can get hitchy at times, but he turns the barrel into the zone well and has good hand-eye coordination, leading to frequent contact. He’s an aggressive hitter who looks to drive the ball for damage but also controls the strike zone well for his age. When he does square up the ball, he has the strength and bat speed to generate big power too, with a chance to develop into a 25-plus home run hitter. Behind the plate, Gutierrez will need more work to develop his blocking and receiving and prove he can stick at catcher, but his above-average arm stands out.
The recently turned 17-year-old (Sept. 11) is currently listed at 205 pounds and 6’2”.
Here’s a
Basbvideo of Gutierrez from last year:
According to Baseball America, Mets are expected to sign catcher Daiverson Gutierrez in the next IFA period starting on 1/15/2023.
BA expects Gutierrez to get 19th highest bonus of the class.
“Advanced hitter with mix of pure hitting ability & power”
— Michael Mayer (@michaelmayer22) September 22, 2022
Baseball America previously reported that the Mets are expected to sign shortstop Venezuelan shortstop Christopher Larez during the upcoming IFA period. BA says that Larez will receive a bonus of at least $1 million.
Here’s the BA scouting report for Larez:
Larez has a well-rounded skill set at shortstop with good offensive upside for his age. He’s a 6-foot righthanded hitter with a mature approach at the plate, showing good bat-to-ball skills and driving the ball well to both alleys with a chance to develop average raw power. Larez is an above-average runner with the arm strength for shortstop, with a chance that he could have enough range for shortstop but a possibility he could fit at second or third base.
Baseball America has not reported a specific bonus for Gutierrez or Larez yet.
The Mets’ top IFA signings from the most recent period were outfielders Simón Juan ($1.9 million) and Willy Fañas ($1.5 million). In terms of production in their first pro season, infielders Jesus Baez (.744 OPS) and Dangelo Sarmiento (.767 OPS) were two of the Mets’ top IFA signings from the 2022 period.
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