In the 2018 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft, the Dodgers selected Hunter Feduccia in the twelfth round, the 32nd catcher drafted.  Based on his 2018 slash line for the Louisiana State University (LSU) Tigers baseball team, .233 / .375 / .377 / .752, it could be debated that he was more of a project than a prospect. But the Dodgers exceptionally good scouting department digs deeper than just one season of stats in their search for talented players.

In Feduccia’s case, the Dodgers knew that he was one of the best two-way junior college catchers in the nation in 2016 and 2017. As a freshman at LSU Eunice Junior College, Feduccia slashed .385 / .479 / .585 / 1.064 and improved across the board in his sophomore season to: .393 / 564 / .607 / 1.121.

According to LSU-E coach Jeff Willis, Feduccia was the best all-around catcher at the junior college level, both defensively and offensively. A topflight defensive catcher plus a middle of the order bat is very rare find at any level.

A January 2018 article by Luke Johnson of Baton Rouge’s “The Advocate” summarized the skills Feduccia was bringing to the LSU Tigers baseball team:

‘A simple, compact swing sending line drives to all fields. And, better yet, he sees that approach translate into competitive situations during scrimmages,’ Johnson wrote of Feduccia in his article.

LSU coach Paul Mainieri had even higher praise for his young catcher:

“He doesn’t really have a weakness at the plate. He handles all kinds of pitchers, he handles all kinds of pitches, he covers the whole plate with his swing and uses the whole field.

“He has occasional power, he’s not going to strike out much and he hits in the clutch.”

Johnson also noted in his piece that although Feduccia’s arm strength is average, he makes up for it with a quick release and a high degree of accuracy.

After signing with the LSU Tigers, Feduccia reinforced his status as an all-around catcher during summer league play in 2017, hitting .348 with eight home runs and 18 doubles in 184 at-bats.

So what happened that resulted in an unimpressive offensive year for such a highly regarded recruit? Dodgers scouts, as usual, did their homework and learned that Feduccia had broken his left (glove) hand before the season began, then broke his right hand in mid-April. Needless to say, a couple of broken hands will severely effects any player’s offense and defense; even more so for a catcher. Remarkably, Feduccia missed very little time with either injury, allowing him (and his importance to the team) to remain in the lineup.

According to Baseball America’s 2018 pre-draft scouting report: Feduccia has a good chance of being a well-rounded catching prospect; a solid batting eye, gap-to-gap power, with an average arm.

Feduccia was drafted by the Dodgers on June 4, 2018, the day before his 21st birthday, and played his first professional game three weeks later for the rookie level Ogden Raptors. After three “tune-up” games with the Raptors, he was promoted to the the Dodgers Low Single-A Great Lakes Loons, slashing .290 / .381 / .350 / .731. Behind the plate, he had no passed balls, and only two errors in 301 total chances for a very impressive combined fielding percentage of .994 while working with an unfamiliar pitching staff.

The 6′-2″ / 215-pound left-handed-hitting catcher returned to Great Lakes to begin the 2019 season and is tearing it up with a slash line of .393 / .564 / .714 / 1.278, with one home run, four doubles, and a triple. And even though the  Dodgers are loaded with exceptional catching prospects throughout their entire farm system, (several of whom are ranked ahead of Feduccia), do not underestimate this young man’s talent. He may not be well known to many Dodgers fans, but the Dodgers consider him a legit prospect.

Remember the name Hunter Feduccia, Dodger fans. He’s going to be a good one. You heard it here first.

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