Atlanta Braves Minor League Catching Options; David Freitas
By Fred Owens
The Atlanta Braves seems to be adding a lot of catching options that most haven’t heard of hoping to bridge the gap until one of their prospects is ready.
That the Atlanta Braves could use a good catcher long-term is not news. Ideally he should be Brian McCann mark II; a left-handed power bat who calls a good game and evolves into a perennial All Star. Oh and he should have the added ability to throw out runners. That’s not much to ask is it? Apparently it is.
You may remember my review of free agent catchers two months ago and the review of trade candidates that followed. None of the players mention made it to Atlanta yet although Matt Wieters is still floating around out there.
GM John Coppolella and President of Baseball Operations John Hart have said repeatedly they are happy to go forward with Tyler Flowers and Anthony Recker backed up by Tuffy Gosewisch. In spite of Flowers surprisingly good year at the plate none of these backstops is the long-term answer. As a result John Coppolella keeps adding formerly well-respected catching prospects continues. David Freitas is the latest of these additions.
The Draft
David Freitas is 6’3” 225 pound California native undrafted when he graduated from Elk Grove High school in 1997. He enrolled in Cosumnes River College in the fall and played two seasons posting a .321/.453/.510/.963 line with a .189 ISO in 302 AB. In 2009 he transferred to the University of Hawaii and appeared in 60 games for the Rainbows posting a .292/.389/.472/.861 line with a .181 ISO including 10 homer in 216 AB.
That was enough for the Nationals to select him in the 15th round of 2010 draft; 446th overall. He continued after joining their low A team posting a .307/.408/.450/.857 with four homers in 261 AB.
The Nats moved A ball in 2011 but his power remained constant through that season and he led the South Atlantic League with 82 walks while posting a .409 OBP, good enough for second in the league.
That performance moved him onto the prospect list where he settled at the Nats #27 on BA’s list ($) after 2011. BA talked about his defense in their post season evaluation.
"“. . . Defensively, Freitas has decent mobility for his size and is a field general who calls a good game. He has solid hands and improving receiving skills. Freitas threw out just 25 percent of base stealers last year and needs to refine his throwing mechanics, as he has a tendency to rush and get on his front side too quickly, causing him to open up and lose leverage. He has average arm strength, so it’s just a matter of syncing up his transfer and release. . .”"
He started 2012 with their A+ team in 2012 and continued to hit but the Nationals needed a big league ready catcher and in August sent him to Oakland in exchange for Kurt Suzuki and cash.